With election night complete at all Ward 1 polling locations, Miguel Youngs has declared that he won the Democratic primary for the City Council position, defeating incumbent John Goncalves ’13 MA’15 in a race to represent neighborhoods spanning from Fox Point to downtown Providence.
Youngs previously worked as the deputy director of policy for the Providence City Council. In that role, he wrote several ordinances and researched and created reports for council members. After deciding to run for a council seat, he quit his policy position.
As a council member, he said he would be interested in reintroducing the City Council’s rent stabilization ordinance, which would have enacted an annual 4% cap on rent increases. The ordinance failed to pass this spring after Mayor Brett Smiley vetoed it. Opponent Goncalves had previously refrained from taking a stance on the ordinance, and eventually voted against it.
Among his other priorities are improving bike lanes in Providence and supporting public school students who are experiencing housing instability.
Eight members of the City Council — a majority of the 15-person group — endorsed Youngs in his run against Goncalves. Youngs has also received endorsements from organizations including the Rhode Island Working Families Party and the Providence Teachers Union.
With no Republican candidate in the race, Youngs will very likely be elected to the council member position in the Nov. 3 general election.
Michelle Bi is a metro editor covering City Hall & Crime and State Politics & Justice. She is a junior from Oak Park, CA and studies English and IAPA. In her free time, you can find her playing guitar, the LA Times crossword or one of her 115 Spotify playlists.
