Critics see the Providence City Council's composition through 15 ward-based seats as a recipe for parochial politics. Rather than being concerned with citywide issues and what's best for Providence as a whole, the thinking goes, the system of ward-based representation imposes turf-based blinders and priorities.

The impact of this was evident during the past debate over Feldco Development's controversial shopping center project for Eagle Square. Breaking with unwritten council protocol, Ward 10 Councilman Luis A. Aponte, who doesn't represent the Eagle Square area, criticized the pending loss of irreplaceable 19th-century buildings as a setback for the city. But Ward 15 Councilwoman Josephine DiRuzzo, whose ward includes Eagle Square, wasted little time in taking Aponte to task for publicly criticizing something outside his ward.

As part of the decennial review of Providence's home rule charter, a charter review commission recently forwarded a proposal to restructure the city council. This recommendation would maintain 15 seats, reshaping the council to include 10 members elected by ward and five elected citywide for at-large seats.

"At-large representation would provide a balance on the council between the big picture needs of the entire city and the needs of our individual wards," according to a letter circulated by supporters, who include Dan Baudouin, Cliff Wood, Kari Lang, Catherine Horsey, and Jim DeRentis. "Further, at-large councilors would provide the citizenry of Providence with an additional avenue, beyond just the mayor's office, to voice concerns of citywide importance to city government, thus increasing opportunities to be heard."

The city council has until September 11, the day after the primary, to decide whether it will include any of the charter review recommendations on the November ballot. But despite the appeal of adding at-large seats, the outlook for moving this proposal forward remains uncertain. Aponte hopes the council, after receiving the entire report of the charter commission, will discuss the topic during its first meeting in September. But even the Ward 10 councilman, a critic of the status quo, says the at-large issue may not make its way onto the November ballot, in part because of the volume of ballot questions being considered.

Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis[a]phx.com.

Issue Date: August 16 - 22, 2002