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Jorge Elorza

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Jorge Elorza
38th Mayor of Providence
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 2, 2023
Preceded byAngel Taveras
Succeeded byBrett Smiley
Personal details
Born
Jorge O. Elorza

(1976-11-24) November 24, 1976 (age 47)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Stephanie Gonzalez
​
(m. 2019)​
Children1
EducationCommunity College of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island, Kingston (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Jorge O. Elorza (born November 24, 1976)[1] is an American law professor who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 2015 until 2023. He defeated former mayor Buddy Cianci in the 2014 mayoral election and on January 5, 2015, was sworn in as mayor of the city.[2][3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Elorza's parents immigrated from Guatemala in 1975.[4] Jorge Elorza was born and raised in the West End of Providence, Rhode Island.[5] He attended local public schools, including Asa Messer Elementary School, Bridgham Middle School, and Classical High School.[1] The first of his family to attend college, he enrolled at the Community College of Rhode Island before transferring to the University of Rhode Island.[6][7] He worked as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, and then attended Harvard Law School, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor.[8][9]

After the death of a hometown friend, Elorza left Wall Street and returned to Rhode Island.[6] Elorza teaches law at the Roger Williams University School of Law.[9] In 2010 he was appointed to the Providence Housing Court, where he replaced Angel Taveras.[8]

Mayor of Providence

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The Providence mayoral race in 2014 was Elorza's first try at elective office.[10] He was sworn in as mayor on January 5, 2015, on the steps of Providence City Hall.[11] In his inaugural speech, Elorza promised to deliver "a city that works".[12]

Early in his first term, Elorza was credited for working closely with the City Council and Governor's office.[10] Within his first 100 days he appointed an "innovation officer" to streamline operations and coordinate city activities.[10][12] He appointed a representative to the city ethics commission for the first time in nine years.[10] He also reached out to constituents with a "Twitter Town Hall."[10]

During his first year in office, Elorza implemented a complaint response system which generated responses to a backlog of thousands of unanswered complaints to the city.[12] City Hall employees have been required to take customer-service training.[12] New contracts were reached with the City Hall and Public Works and Parks Department unions.[12] A program was set up to take control of abandoned houses, and turn them over to buyers who will fix them.[12] Elorza also created an anti-prostitution effort known as "Operation Backpage", which has arrested several dozen men for solicitation.[12]

On September 12, 2018, Elorza won renomination to the Mayor's office over challengers Kobi Dennis and Robert DeRobbio.[13] He subsequently won the general election.

Budget

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Elorza's government faced a budget shortfall during his first year.[12] However, in October 2016, Elorza announced a $9.5 million budget surplus for the 2015–2016 budget year.[14] This was Providence's largest surplus in at least 20 years.[14] Critics claimed the surplus was partly due to not hiring needed police and firefighters.[14]

Firefighters union

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Elorza faced a long fight with the city's firefighters union over schedule changes.[12] In September 2016, after 13 months of lawsuits, arbitration, and sometimes nasty public exchanges, Elorza and the president of the union finally came to an agreement.[15]

Parking meters

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Elorza presided over an expansion of new, high-tech parking meters in Providence.[16] Between January 2015 and September 2016, Elorza's administration increased the number of metered parking spaces by 50 percent, from 1,400 to 2,100.[16] Critics of the plan say that the meters hurt local business, and that the reduced tax revenue from businesses hurt by the meters is greater than the increased revenue from the parking fees.[16]

"One Providence" initiative

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Following the November 2016 Presidential election, Elorza established the "One Providence" initiative to respond to reports of increased hate crimes against Muslims, LGBTQ people, and minorities in Providence.[17][18] The initiative includes a new "hotline" to report crime,[18] and the establishment of a Muslim-American advisory board.[17] The initiative was established to "protect and serve every resident of the city" without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion or disability.[17] While the mayor vowed to protect undocumented immigrants from attempts at unfair deportation by the Trump administration,[17] he said he has no plans to establish Providence as a "sanctuary city."[19]

Environmental initiatives

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Mayor Elorza addresses riders before the start of his quarterly "Bike the Night" ride through Providence.

In 2016, Elorza set a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.[20] Elorza is a supporter of improving the city's biking infrastructure, and in 2017 a new greenway opened in Roger Williams Park.[21] Elorza leads a quarterly bicycle ride through Providence called "Bike the Night" to highlight the city's cycling infrastructure.[21]

In 2017, the city signed a $400,000 contract with a private Silicon Valley company to introduce the first bicycle sharing program to the city, supported by local hospitals and RIPTA.[22] Despite the system being popular enough to expand in April 2019,[23] in summer 2019 a new model of bike was introduced with a less secure lock and the price of a ride increased 450%.[24] This led to the bicycles becoming associated with a "wave of vandalism and criminal activity" including widespread thefts of bicycles, bikes tossed into the Providence river, and even a company tech held at gunpoint.[22] The company paused the program in August 2019 and suspended service indefinitely in June 2020.[22]

Elorza addresses a Bike-to-Work Day gathering in Burnside Park, May 15, 2015.

In January 2020, Elorza unveiled a "Great Streets" initiative to create a framework of public space improvements to encourage walking, riding bicycles, and public transit.[25] The plan includes establishing an "Urban Trail Network" which includes 60 miles of bicycle paths, bike lanes, and greenways within Providence.[26]

Unified Vision plan

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Elorza's Providence Unified Vision public space project was introduced in July 2021.[27] The plan includes redesigns of Kennedy Plaza and the riverfront.[27] Included in the plan are public rest rooms, walkways, riverfront improvements, green landscaping, a cafe, and performance space.[27]

Reparations

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In July 2020, in response to the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd, Mayor Elorza signed an executive order meant to start a city truth commission, intending to atone for Providence's role in Black slavery, institutional racism, and the mistreatment of Native Americans.[28] In June 2021, Elorza was one of 11 U.S. mayors who formed Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities.[29] In March 2022, Elorza signed an executive order creating the 13-member Providence Municipal Reparations Commission.[30][31] In August 2022, after receiving the commission's report and recommendations, Mayor Elorza proposed a $10 million reparations spending plan for the city.[32]

Personal life

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Elorza is an avid cyclist and fitness enthusiast.[10] He frequently commutes by bicycle from his home in Olneyville to City Hall.[10][33]

In August 2019, Elorza married Stephanie Gonzalez, a former Central Falls city council member.[34][35] The pair had a son in June 2018.[34][36]

After finishing his term as mayor, Elorza was appointed, in 2023, to lead Democrats for Education Reform, a political advocacy organization which focuses on encouraging the Democratic Party to support public education reform and charter schools.[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Campaign 2014: Providence Mayor". WPRI Eyewitness News. WPRI News. Retrieved February 4, 2015. Born: 24 Nov. 1976
  2. ^ "Jorge Elorza sworn in as Providence's 38th mayor". wpri.com. January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  3. ^ Wright, Emily (November 4, 2014). "Jorge Elorza Defeats Buddy Cianci in Providence Mayoral Race". Boston.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  4. ^ McGowan, Dan (January 5, 2015). "Jorge Elorza sworn in as Providence's 38th mayor". WPRI Eyewitness News. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  5. ^ Abuaita, Alexander (October 15, 2014). "BPR Interview: Jorge Elorza". Brown Political Review. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "CCRI speaker offers grads ways to measure success". Warwick Beacon. May 24, 2005. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ a b McGowan, Dan (November 18, 2013). "Democrat Jorge Elorza launches bid for Providence mayor". WPRI. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Jorge O. Elorza". Roger Williams University School of Law.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Hill, John (April 23, 2015). "Providence Mayor Elorza's first 100 days get high marks". The Providence Journal. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  11. ^ NBC 10 News. "Elorza takes office as Providence mayor". Retrieved February 1, 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hill, John (January 2, 2016). "Providence's Mayor Elorza showed initiative in 1st year, but problems loom in 2016". The Providence Journal. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Elorza wins Democratic nomination for Providence mayor". WPRI. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c Hill, John (October 31, 2016). "Mayor Elorza says Providence will end year with $9.5 million surplus". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  15. ^ Hill, John (September 12, 2016). "Providence firefighters, city reach tentative deal on contract". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  16. ^ a b c Hill, John (September 6, 2016). "On Thayer Street in Providence, is the city's busiest parking meter". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c d Ziner, Karen Lee (November 22, 2016). "Providence mayor signs executive order creating Muslim advisory board". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Ziner, Karen Lee (December 7, 2016). "Elorza announces new hot line to report hate crimes". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  19. ^ Reynolds, Mark (November 14, 2016). "Mayor Elorza: No plan to turn Providence into 'sanctuary city'". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  20. ^ Kuffner, Alex (April 21, 2016). "Providence commits to reach carbon-neutral goal by 2050". The Providence Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Curley, Bob (June 22, 2017). "Building a More Bikeable Providence". Providence Monthly. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  22. ^ a b c Amaral, Brian (May 20, 2020). "Watchdog Team: Company behind Jump bikes was stunned by level of vandalism in Providence". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  23. ^ List, Madeleine (April 1, 2019). "JUMP on a roll: Providence adding 700 more bikes for rent". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  24. ^ August, Harry (July 15, 2019). "Providence riders dismayed at leaping cost of JUMP bike rentals". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  25. ^ "City of Providence Unveils Final Great Streets Plan". City of Providence. January 27, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  26. ^ "Providence Unveils Plan for 'Great Streets'". Eco RI News. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c Marani, Matthew (July 15, 2021). "Providence, Rhode Island, and Arup reveal final design for Unified Vision public space project". The Architects Newspaper. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021.
  28. ^ List, Madeleine. "Providence mayor signs order to pursue truth, reparations for Black, Indigenous people," Providence Journal (July 16, 2020).
  29. ^ "11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations," Associated Press (June 18, 2021)
  30. ^ Gaffney, Austyn. "Providence pursues next steps toward reparations," Smart Cities Dive (March 11, 2022).
  31. ^ Marceo, Philip. "Providence mayor forms reparations commission," Associated Press (February 28, 2022).
  32. ^ Marcelo, Philip. "Rhode Island mayor proposes $10M reparations spending plan," Associated Press (August 25, 2022).
  33. ^ Blanchette, Matt (May 15, 2015). "Mayor Elorza bikes to work daily". ABC 6 News. Retrieved May 16, 2015. Elorza rides to work nearly every single day from his home in Olneyville.
  34. ^ a b "Providence's first family". The Providence Journal. August 10, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  35. ^ "Providence mayor engaged to former Central Falls city councilor". Newport RI dot com. June 13, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  36. ^ List, Madeline (June 29, 2018). "A baby boy for Providence mayor, former Central Falls councilwoman". The Providence Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  37. ^ Bernal, Rafael (April 3, 2023). "Former Providence mayor to lead Democratic education group". The Hill. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Providence
2015–2023 		Succeeded by
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