GLO Endorses gonzalo cuervo, john goncalves, jackie goldman and rachel miller in 9-13 primaries
After deliberation by GLO’s Political Committee, we’re excited to announce our endorsement of several candidates in the upcoming September 13th primary elections! Read more from GLO’s Political Director, Michael Ziegler from Classics:
As we prepare for a new school year, I am writing on behalf of the political committee to bring you information about the September 13th Rhode Island primary and our union's endorsements for that primary. In-person voting in the primary is open, and will continue all the way until primary day. For a list of early voting locations, click here.
This summer the political committee has been meeting with candidates running for office in Providence in order to determine those whose election would best serve the interests of our members and those of working Providence residents in general. On the basis of these meetings and past support for GLO we have decided to make endorsements for Mayor of Providence and three council races. For the sake of brevity, I will focus on some of the reasons for our mayoral endorsement before stating our endorsements for council.
Few reading this message will need to be told that rents in Providence have risen astronomically in recent years; it is a lived reality for a great many of us. Landlords have taken advantage of increased demand for housing to command extortionate monthly increases in rent while failing to perform necessary maintenance on their properties. Graduate workers remain stuck in substandard housing for fear that they will not be able to find a safe and affordable alternative.
Our endorsement of Gonzalo Cuervo for Mayor of Providence reflects his bold, concrete plan to address the housing crisis grads at Brown know all too well. Among other policies, Gonzalo will work to pass a rent stabilization ordinance capping year-on-year rent increases at 4%. He will also use a municipal public developer model to build new, affordable housing that avoids the costs accrued by the use of private developers. Furthermore, he will seek to enact zoning changes that allow for greater housing density, thereby opening the way for a significant increase in the city's supply of housing. You can read Gonzalo's full housing plan here.
Gonzalo's housing plan has not been popular with everyone; the Providence Apartment Association (PAA), an association that lobbies for large landlords, has come out strongly against his rent stabilization proposal. Notably, there is one candidate in the race for whom the PAA has held a fundraiser and to whom it has given a $1,000 donation. Graduate workers at Brown cannot afford to have a mayor who is utterly beholden to the interests of absentee landlords. Fortunately, Gonzalo presents us with an alternative who will fight to make Providence an affordable place to live for all working people.
In making our decision to endorse Gonzalo we were also influenced by the support he has received from elected officials who have consistently stood up for working people and graduate workers at Brown. Among others, Gonzalo has received the support of Rep. David Morales, Sen. Tiara Mack, Ward 13 Councilor Rachel Miller, and Ward 11 Councilor Mary Kay Harris. We urge you to join these community leaders in casting a vote for Gonzalo on or before September 13th.
Our endorsements in council races are as follows:
Ward 1 - John Goncalves
Ward 5 - Jackie Goldman
Ward 13 - Rachel Miller
We will once again reach out closer to primary day to announce our endorsements in state legislative races. If you are interested in getting involved to elect the candidates endorsed by our union, please send an email to political@glounion.org.
