Prov Councilman Principe Announces He Will Not Run for Reelection
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Bryan Principe, the Councilman for Providence 13th Ward which includes Federal Hill area, has announced he will not seek reelection.
The two-term Democrat made the announcement via a letter to constituents. No word yet on who may declare for the council seat.
READ THE LETTER BELOW
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Almost eight years ago, in deciding to run for City Council, I set out to make even a small difference in our great neighborhood. It has been a distinct honor during this time to work in collaboration with people across the community to strengthen our city.
To note, short-term finances in Providence have stabilized, with an operational surplus for two consecutive years, a complete payoff of the cumulative deficit and the start of a rainy-day fund. More than sixty projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars are in the development pipeline, including neighborhood gems such as the Wedding Cake House artist-in-residence renovation, the Almy Street School redevelopment, the opening of the Pilgrim Lofts, the $10 million clean-up and development of the Louttit Laundry site, the pending $7 million reconstruction of the Althea Street School into Head Start programming and the $400 million 6/10 highway interchange reconstruction slated to begin by the end of this year. Though not yet out of the woods, Providence is on the move- and so is the Ward 13 community!
Over the last seven years, every neighborhood park has seen investment, with new play equipment, basketball courts, benches, plantings, fencing, signage, bocce courts, chess tables, even the creation of a splash park to complement the pool at Zuccolo Recreation Center. A quick note on our rec center- over the last seven years, the kids playing at Zuccolo have won eight boys basketball city championships, five girls basketball city championships- including a girls 10-and-under championship this season, a city swim meet won last summer and two bowling championships won last fall!
Our neighborhood has also seen major infrastructure improvements; the Atwells Avenue Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project installed sidewalk bump-outs, rapid-flash crosswalk signs, striping and signage along the entire corridor in a $500,000 project that was ~85% funded with RIDOT funds. The Luongo Square Enhancement Project saw the WBNA shepherd over $1 million dollars of federal, RIDOT and philanthropic funding into traffic flow and pedestrian improvements and the creation of a new mini park! The renovation of Aldo Freda Field leveraged funds received by the charitable arm of Major League Baseball to create a first-class, multi-use field that serves the physical education needs of the students at Asa Messer Elementary School and is the home field of the Central High School Lady Knights softball team.
And our schools- take it from me as a parent of two high school girls who have attended public school in Providence since kindergarten- our neighborhood schools provide a K-12 pathway that rivals any suburban district. Our schools offer caring and supportive teachers and staff, technology in the classroom, community partnerships, art, music and the wonderful diversity of the people in our neighborhood.
A new athletic field is being prepared for the Central High School/PCTA athletic teams, lighting is being installed at the Classical High School athletic complex, Carl Lauro School has a new playground and, through a collaboration with DownCity Design, newly crafted outdoor classroom/learning space, Asa Messer School has a greatly expanded art room and a newly expanded music room, West Broadway Middle School, in the three years since it opened, has seen statewide principal and teacher of the year honors, and every student in every classroom in every school will have access to a tablet, laptop or computer by the start of the next academic year. Families no longer have to move from our neighborhood in search of better schools.
I can go on… but I would like to focus on the upcoming election season. My household had a serious discussion on the commitment incumbent upon the possibility of another four-year term. With increased work obligations for both my wife and myself, as well as more demands from the lives of our daughters, I have decided it is time for someone new to represent our ward on the City Council; I will not be seeking a third term.
I look forward to serving out the remainder of this term. Thank you to my past and present colleagues on the City Council, to the dedicated staff (past and present) in the Council office and City Clerk’s office, to the Mayor and to everyone in City Hall and the citywide departments, to my colleagues in state government, and to all those in Ward 13 who have shown unwavering support for our neighborhood- I have learned so much from each of you!
With sincerest gratitude,
Bryan
Bryan Principe
Councilman
Ward 13, Providence
