Frymaster
The mechanics of gentrification
In the introductory post of this series on housing in the Providence metro, I laid out some basic concepts in antithetical pairs. I sought to show how policy advocates and community activists argue their competing viewpoints within a zero-sum logic, usually to the detriment of both. This post examines the process of radical neighborhood change commonly called gentrification. […]
Housing in Providence
Housing is among the key requirements for human survival. And it is arguably the single greatest defining factor for a community. The urban landscape, particularly in the US, has seen any number of experiments and approaches. Many have been abysmal failures. Today, the “new urbanism” approach seeks to improve cities through a set of measures to increase density […]
PVD mayor’s election: complicated city, not class warfare
In the 2014 Providence mayoral election, municipal unions broke unanimously for Buddy Cianci, as did the Teamsters and others. When a huge margin from the East Side put Jorge Elorza over the top, Cianci’s union supporters immediately called it “class warfare,” saying there were two Providences—the East Side and everywhere else. The data don’t support this […]
What next in ward 3?
When RI Future first broke the story of Marcus Mitchell’s write-in campaign, the mainstream media wouldn’t give it so much as a mention. But on the Wednesday after the election, it was big, big news. Ahead by a mere 22 votes in the “machine count,” Mitchell would ultimately lose to the incumbent Kevin Jackson on […]
Ward 3 on the verge of history; write-in Marcus Mitchell ahead
It is possible that Marcus Mitchell will win the race for Providence City Council Ward 3 with a write-in campaign. If he does, it will be an historic achievement. Has Providence ever seen such an occurrence? The preliminary count shows “write-in” with a 22-vote lead over incumbent Kevin Jackson, 1,829 to 1,807. Emergency ballots and […]
Jackson doubles down; Mitchell fires back
Providence Ward 3 City Councilor Kevin Jackson distributed flyers under his own name, repeating the false claim originally voiced by the Providence Apartment Association on his behalf, namely that his write-in challenger Marcus Mitchell lamented Rick Santorum’s withdrawal from the 2012 presidential race. Meanwhile, the Mitchell campaign has sent Jackson a letter that provides clear, compelling exculpatory […]
Jackson allies smear Marcus Mitchell
In 2010, Frank Caprio inexplicably destroyed his campaign by telling Barack Obama to “take his endorsement and, really, shove it.” Ward 3 city councillor Kevin Jackson may be having a similar moment. Jackson-backers the Providence Apartment Association sent out an email today potentially libeling Marcus Mitchell, attributing to the write-in candidate a quote that Jackson […]
Uprising in Ward 3: Marcus Mitchell wages write-in against Kevin Jackson
The Providence city council seat for ward 3 appears to be suddenly in play. Economic development consultant and leadership author Marcus Mitchell is gathering support for a write-in campaign against previously unchallenged incumbent Kevin Jackson. And it looks like Mitchell can win. Mitchell was the founding president of the Providence Community Library and has been a longtime Mt. Hope activist. This activism […]
Open data and the next mayor of Providence
Some readers may recall that yours truly advised Angel Taveras’s 2010 mayoral campaign on the issues of information technology, web services and open government (known then as “government 2.0”). Later, I served on the transition committee studying these same issues and served on the Open Providence Commission for Transparency and Accountability that met throughout 2012. […]
On political winning: a retrospective addendum
I am gratified and honored that my previous post on RI’s 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary continues to generate such heated discussion. By all means, continue to have at. I’m sure my editor joins me in the satisfaction that this specific post has drawn at least two new commenters into the fray. But from another perspective, […]
Why the left screwed itself in governor’s race
In yet another display of the left’s fractious pettiness, those least likely to support Gina Raimondo ensured her primary success. Put another way, in yet another display of political ambition gone wrong, Angel Taveras lost the governor’s race the moment he cashiered the progressive team that put him in City Hall in favor of cigar […]
The Frymaster endorsements
Political endorsements ain’t what they used to be. If Donald Trump can issue endorsements and have people take them seriously, I figured…what the heck? Herewith, my endorsements (i.e., people for whom I will vote) for select state-wide and GA races. I also add some one-liners at the end for GA candidates in districts other than […]
Aaron Renn: Rhode Island dead
I’d love to say that Aaron Renn’s recent hit piece in City Journal is total trash, but it’s not. While I dispute his basic thesis that “progressive policies” have caused Rhode Island’s problems, I agree that…we got problems. I also agree with some of the reforms he suggest, think some are hogwash and have other alternatives […]
Code Island to host Wiki-a-thon Sunday
[Neither your Frymaster nor RI Future in general support the raw posting of press releases. But seein’ as how I wrote this press release, I say “fair game!” Please re-blog this far and wide. (Lookin’ at you, Righty.)] Code Island, Rhode Island’s newly established Code for America brigade, will host a National Day of Civic […]
Larry Summers: It’s not the rich, it’s the ROBOTS!
The popularity of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century has conservatives and economic elites in a bit of lather. As they try to refute an economic reality that has become obvious to most everybody, they end up making some transparently deceptive arguments. Take Larry Summers, who headed up the US Treasury Department at the […]
Ticket fairness: Fix it or fail it
On the surface, the Ticket Fairness Act, pending in the General Assembly, looks like a consumer protection act that hurts the scalpers. In reality, it is exactly the opposite. As written, the law allows venues and ticket agents to transfer to themselves any quantity of tickets to resell at inflated prices. As with many things […]
Unions are not all the same
In several recent conversations about the gubernatorial race, people have talked about “the labor vote” going to this candidate or that. We often hear pundits and even reporters talking about “unions” as a monolithic bloc. Like thinking that all RI Democrats are equally liberal, seeing the labor movement as a single unit is deeply flawed. […]
Progressive gut check
Rhode Island’s progressive movement is today in shambles, ripped apart by the stunning resurgence of the conservative faction of the so-called Democratic Party. It is now at the point that alleged Democrats feel perfectly comfortable reading directly from the RI GOP 2014 agenda and letting those comments be reported in the press. And why shouldn’t […]
Cheap electricity isn’t the solution, it’s the problem
As more and more Americans accept the obvious reality that economic benefits don’t trickle down, that they’re not part of economic growth and that global warming is both real and expensive, conservatives need to reach further afield to support their losing arguments. Nothing shows this more clearly than the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and […]
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