The decisive victory of David Segal in the hotly contested four-way race to represent Ward One on the Providence City Council - the first electoral success for a member of the Rhode Island Green Party - has delighted proponents of third-party politics. But the win for Segal, a 22-year-old who has lived in the ward for a relatively short time, has also become a source of discontent for those Fox Point residents who question whether the councilor-elect has sufficient experience to handle the job.

Segal, who aggressively focused his the campaign on progressive issues like the living wage, affordable housing, and civilian review of the police, rejected suggestions that college students were almost entirely responsible for his victory, although he acknowledges they were a crucial source of support. "We did a lot of work in the neighborhoods," he says. "There was a lot of support there, scattered throughout the ward."

Segal, a Maryland native who graduated from Columbia University and became a part-time teacher at the Wheeler School after coming to Providence about 18 months ago, has lived in Ward One for five months. Noting that former mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr. was elected to the council at about the same age, Segal seems more focused on his plans for supporting a progressive agenda than beating back charges of being a carpetbagger.

But some Fox Pointers, particularly those who supported independent candidate Harry Bilodeau, remain upset by Segal's victory on November 5. The Green candidate easily outpaced Democrat Kyle Diggins, Bilodeau, and Republican Bill Miller.

Anne Hersh of Williams Street, for example, says, "We really need leadership in this neighborhood and to understand the complexities of this neighborhood, it's not enough to be a smart, educated person. [Fox Point] has a very rich texture. To communicate effectively with all the people, you need to have a really good sense of their history and their priorities. Relationships take time. I don't think David Segal has had that time." Being a newcomer doesn't preclude Segal from rising to the challenge, Hersh says, but, "On top of learning how to interact with all the other councilors and the mayor, and gaining their respect, that's a lot."

Hersh, who supported Bilodeau, says the outcome of the election could lead to an increase in animosity against the student population in the neighborhood. "The students are really guests in the community," she says. "A kind way to say it would be to say that they're not taxpayers."

Green Party officials, however, credit Segal with running a highly effective campaign, and they say, even as the only member of a minority party on the otherwise Democratic council, he could play a significant role.

"I think he came across as the candidate most in tune with the changes in the city," says Greg Gerritt, the Green candidate for mayor of Providence. "If people really wanted to support change and democracy, David seemed like the obvious candidate."

Tim McKee, the co-chair of the Rhode Island Green Party, says Segal outworked his opponents and could be an important swing vote on the council. The fading into the past of the old 8-7 council split of the Cianci era is "a monumental thing," McKee says.

Green officials cited Segal's victory as part of steady growth across the nation in the party's electoral representation, mostly in local offices. With the recent move to Connecticut of McKee, a visible leader of the Rhode Island party for the last 10 years, the importance for the Greens of actually having someone in office is hard to underestimate.

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

Issue Date: November 15 - 21, 2002