Ethan Ris '05 confirmed Friday that he will challenge incumbent David Segal for the Ward 1 City Council seat in 2006, ending several months of speculation fueled by a March announcement that he was considering an election bid. Ris told The Herald that he will enter the race as a Democrat against Segal, a member of the Green Party who was elected in 2002. Ward 1 encompasses both College Hill and Fox Point.
Ris, a Maryland native and former president of the Brown Democrats, said he first thought of entering the race while working as a fellow under Mayor David Cicilline '83 in the summer of 2004. During his time at City Hall, he said he encountered members of Cicilline's administration who were "dissatisfied with the Council in general" and, in particular, Segal's work during his first term.
According to Ris, criticism of Segal extends beyond City Hall.
"People from all across the neighborhood have made it pretty clear (to me) that they are fed up with the way they're being represented," Ris said. "They would at the very least like to see a change."
In particular, Ris said he does not agree with Segal's decision to focus on broader issues that do not represent the immediate concerns of his constituents.
"Councilman Segal is certainly not interested in Ward 1 issues," Ris said. He added that much of Segal's work "has been spent on issues that don't even affect the city of Providence at all," including Council resolutions condemning the Iraq war and the Patriot Act.
For his part, Segal pointed to "a lot of important work going on at the city level around labor issues and housing and the environment" as evidence of his commitment to local issues.
Though many projects are still ongoing, Segal listed three "major accomplishments" that demonstrate progress made during his first term, including efforts to increase the construction of affordable housing in Providence. On the environmental front, he praised an ordinance passed in July that requires Providence to obtain 20 percent of its electrical energy from renewable energy sources by 2010. Segal co-sponsored this ordinance along with Council President John Lombardi and Ward 9 Councilman Miguel Luna.
In addition, Segal cited efforts to strengthen the First Source ordinance, a measure passed in 1985 that requires companies receiving money from the city to give priority to Providence residents when making hiring decisions. The ordinance - which will receive $150,000 under the city's 2006 budget - had not previously been enforced.
"I think (my) work speaks for itself and it's the best way to get people excited to support me and to work with me," Segal said.
"I think his biggest successes have been in galvanizing the city's liberal base," Ris said of Segal. "He can basically take single-handed credit for those votes that have passed the City Council. I have nothing against those, but that is basically his only legacy at this point."
Instead, Ris said he believes Ward 1 residents seek more locally pertinent representation, something he says he will bring to the Council by focusing on College Hill transportation issues, the relocation of Interstate 195 and "town-Brown relations."
When it comes to Brown's relationship with the surrounding neighborhood, Ris said he hopes to mend what he perceives as a growing divide between students and residents.
"The status quo is unacceptable, both with the University not paying its dues to the city and not contributing enough to the life and the well-being of the city," Ris said. But because Brown already gives money under the Payment In Lieu of Taxes program, Ris said Brown's present financial contribution "is pretty difficult to rectify."
The University should still work to benefit nearby communities, however, both by pursuing responsible expansion plans to benefit "other neighborhoods that really do need the help" and encouraging students to take a more active role in local service projects, he said.
Ris called Brown students' current level of local participation "dismal," adding that he would encourage the University to sponsor more partnerships with city organizations to repair what is "too much of an insular situation."
Segal said he will make a final decision on whether to pursue re-election in the next few months, adding that he wishes to focus on several ongoing projects "before I switch over to election mode." Still, he said he has begun raising money and intends to run.
Segal said he is not surprised to have Ris enter the race, adding that he expected a Democratic challenger for the position. "I know that there are people interested in running, and (Ris) is one of them," he said.
Rachel Lauter '06, who has experience working with both candidates, said she believes "it's going to be a really tough race." Though she believes Segal enjoys "overwhelming support" from local residents, she also considers Ris "a totally viable" candidate.
"Segal is the incumbent, so he has the experience," Lauter said. "But once Ethan starts campaigning ... there's a very serious chance that he can also be sort of a champion" for some of the causes Segal has embraced during his first term. Lauter, who is working with Segal in support of inclusionary zoning in the city and traveled with Ris to New Hampshire to campaign for Howard Dean before the 2004 primary, commended Ris' commitment to local community work.
Ris began teaching 11th- and 12th-graders this year at the Met School, a charter high school located in South Providence.
Both Segal and Ris said they believe the Brown vote will play a big role in the 2006 race. During the last election, Segal estimated Brown students comprised about a quarter of total votes cast.
Pablo Gaston '05, now a researcher for the Service Employees International Union Local 615, praised Segal as "a huge supporter of low wage workers here in Providence and also on Brown's campus."
Sarah Adler-Milstein '07.5 echoed this sentiment, citing Segal's involvement in protesting the University's treatment of temporary workers last spring as well as his more recent support for the Justice for Janitors campaign.
"He's always the first one to stand up for what's right, especially at Brown," Adler-Milstein said. "I really think he's the ideal representative at Brown be-cause he's shown in the past that he's been very responsive to all the issues that I think Brown students care about."
