The primary duty and foremost obligation of the City of Providence is municipal public safety. It is more than preventing crime, managing traffic, and bringing alleged perpetrators to justice; it should be a public state-of-mind. People want to feel safe in Providence, whether residents, our visitors, or those working here. Whether it is statistically true or not, the worst outside opinion our city can have is that Providence is dangerous. As Mayor, my message to all those who want to break the law in Providence is: Not in our city!  

Providence Patrolman Allen Waters

As the next Mayor of Providence, I will help begin to turn my city from a city of renters into a city of owners. For many years, I have been an advocate of multi-style Cooperative Housing, in which the tenants do not own the unit in which they dwell, but instead have ownership shares of the non-profit company that owns the building(s). From credit-qualified lower to moderate-income residents and higher, Cooperative Housing in Providence can effectively create thousands of owner-tenants who become their own landlords through their Board of Directors. I have written to Governor McKee and every member of the Rhode Island General Assembly twice by postal mail about creating a Rhode Island Marshall Plan to fund co-op development, with state bridge lending replaced by traditional lending once a co-op is functional. Rhode Island Housing can help credit-qualified owner-tenants obtain a mortgage for their ownership shares to buy in. So far, no response from state officials. Mayor Allen Waters will create an Office of Cooperative Housing within City Hall, not to disrupt the free market, but to educate those who want financial ownership equity, or as I call it, 'skin in the game.'

School choice is about a fundamental right for parents to have access to an educational environment that serves their children best. I believe taxpayer dollars should fund all educational options. Providence parents, and parents across Rhode Island, should have a wide range of high-quality schools to choose from, like traditional public schools, charter schools, private and religious schools, or virtual learning online. Let the money follow the child. We must make Providence Public Schools competitive and redirect education away from the forces that have kept our schools from reaching their full potential. We must teach students to master the basics and to think critically and independently.