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Press Clippings

Mark Patinkin: Angel Taveras heads for the mayor’s job in Providence

Mark Patinkin: Angel Taveras heads for the mayor’s job in Providence
The Providence Journal
Sunday, October 10, 2010

It was raining as Angel Taveras, 40, Democratic nominee for mayor of Providence, walked into La Salle Bakery on Smith Street last Monday around 5 p.m. Coincidentally, I remember seeing him at a similar moment at a bakery on the East Side a week before the primary. It was crowded that day, but not a soul seemed to recognize him as he had coffee with an aide.

It was different now. People did a second take and then approached.

“I hope you win the election,” said a middle-aged man. Others — most of them white in this blue-collar neighborhood — approached and said similar things. Taveras, who faces no Republican opponent and one under-funded independent named Jonathan Scott, is likely to be the first Latino mayor of Providence.

He asked for a ginger ale and a chocolate pudding cake. Taveras never drinks alcohol, but chocolate, he says, is a guilty indulgence. He has another reason for ordering it: The campaign pace has caused him to lose 15 pounds. He’s 6-feet and down to 156.

For someone in the thick of urban politics, Taveras has an unexpectedly mild air. He has used the catch-phrase, “from Head Start to Harvard” — but most don’t know he did his first year of college after Classical High at Dartmouth. He transferred because he wasn’t into the frat culture up there, and missed city life.

Another middle-aged white male approached. “I’m glad you did such a number on those other two guys,” the supporter said. Indeed, Taveras got almost 50 percent of the primary vote over two political pros: City Council veteran John Lombardi and longtime State Rep. Steven Constantino. Both are now backing Taveras.

These days, he starts most mornings at 6 a.m., jogging along Pleasant Valley Parkway, and often goes nonstop until 11 p.m.

Taveras lives not far from La Salle Bakery in Mount Pleasant. But he grew up in the inner city Lockwood Plaza public housing project with his mother, sister and brother until he was 14.

“It could get rough,” he said. One day, there were gunshots. He would hear domestic violence in nearby apartments. When asked how he got through that, he said: “You realize how lucky you are to have a mother like I have.” She worked in factories, he added, and put her kids ahead of everything else.

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Costantino and Lombardi endorse Angel Taveras for Mayor

Costantino and Lombardi endorse Taveras’ bid for mayor in Providence

07:37 AM EDT on Wednesday, October 6, 2010

By PHILIP MARCELO Journal Staff Writer

From primary day rivals to Election Day supporters, two Democratic candidates for mayor have said they will throw their support to their party’s nominee for mayor.

State Rep. Steven M. Costantino, who finished third in the September Democratic mayoral primary, endorsed Angel Taveras for mayor on Monday, highlighting Taveras’ economic plan as he urged voters to support Taveras on Nov. 2. The next day, City Councilman John J. Lombardi followed suit.

Read the whole story here.

Results show citywide vote for Taveras in Providence

Results show citywide vote for Taveras in Providence
07:39 AM EDT on Friday, September 17, 2010
By Philip Marcelo Providence Journal Staff Writer

Democratic mayoral nominee Angel Taveras argues that his Tuesday primary victory was not simply an East Side and South Side victory, but a citywide win.

Results released Wednesday by the city Board of Canvassers –– tallying up the city’s 88 polling places and breaking it down by ward –– confirm as much.

The results are unofficial pending counting of the provisional ballots by the state Board of Elections, according to Laurence K. Flynn of the city Board of Canvassers. The city has to certify the results within one week of the primary.

Taveras, a 40-year-old lawyer and former city Housing Court judge, won 11 of the city’s 15 wards on his way to earning his party’s nomination with 49 percent of the 23,801 votes cast. City Councilman John J. Lombardi won four wards and state Rep. Steven M. Costantino, the endorsed Democrat, claimed none and finished third in most wards. Perennial candidate Christopher F. Young, who drew 383 votes, finished last in all wards.

Taveras, who now faces independent candidate Jonathan P. Scott in the November election, garnered about two-thirds of his winning 11,751 votes from the East Side neighborhoods such as Fox Point, College Hill and Mount Hope, and South Side neighborhoods such as Elmwood, Upper and Lower South Providence, and Washington Park.

But Taveras also won surprising victories elsewhere.

He won Ward 12, which includes Smith Hill and where Council Majority Leader Terrence Hassett, unchallenged in his bid for reelection, had thrown his support to Costantino.

He took Ward 7, which includes Silver Lake, the neighborhood that was once the seat of power for an Italian-American-dominated Democratic Party machine and where the leading politician, City Councilman John J. Igliozzi, had backed Costantino.

A new face of power in Providence mayoral race

A new face of power in Providence mayoral race
Angel Taveras’ win shows growing political strength of city's Latino community
12:32 PM EDT on Thursday, September 16, 2010
By Philip Marcelo Providence Journal Staff Writer

Fresh off his commanding victory in a four-way Democratic primary, Angel Taveras –– the 40-year-old lawyer poised to become the first Latino mayor of a city that has seen an unbroken chain of Italian-American mayors spanning more than three decades –– was not quite ready to take his place in history on Wednesday.

After a long night celebrating with supporters and family under a large white tent downtown, Taveras (pronounced Tah-VEH-rahs) was back in campaign mode, making the rounds on the early-morning Spanish and English talk-radio shows.

He had breakfast at La Sonrisa, a Dominican restaurant on Broad Street, where Taveras, a product of the city’s public schools who went on to attend Harvard University and Georgetown Law School, talked to a handful of city youths about the importance of a good education.

He had lunch with his 90-year-old grandmother, Carmen, who used to take him to school growing up. He sat in on an afternoon meeting with his staff to plan the next phase of the campaign; he faces independent candidate Jonathan P. Scott in November.

Then it was off to La Salle Bakery, a busy place in his neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, to thank supporters on his way to doing more media interviews.

Taveras won 49 percent of the vote Tuesday, defeating longtime City Councilman John J. Lombardi (29 percent), state Rep. Steven M. Costantino (20 percent), and Christopher F. Young (less than 2 percent).

Taveras thanks voters for primary win

Taveras thanks voters for primary win
By NBC 10 News
Published: September 15, 2010

The celebration continued Wednesday for Angel Taveras who won the Democratic primary in the race to succeed outgoing Mayor David Cicilline in Providence.

Taveras danced with one of his supporters at LaSalle Bakery on Smith Street, where he went to thank voters.

Taveras defeated City Councilman John Lombardi, state Rep. Steven Costantino and Christopher Young on Tuesday.

"Rhode Island is catching up to the rest of the country in the sense that ethnic and demographic politics are changing," said NBC 10 Political Analyst Wendy Schiller.

The attorney and former housing court judge told NBC 10 his message of change and new jobs resonated with voters.

"We're going to work every day, very hard to make sure we work to get out the vote, to make sure that we win the general election and then get ready to move on from there," Taveras said.

Taveras captures 48 percent of vote in Providence mayoral primary

Newcomer Taveras captures 48 percent of vote in Providence mayoral primary
10:32 AM EDT on Wednesday, September 15, 2010
By Philip Marcelo Providence Journal staff writer

In the hard-fought race to succeed outgoing Mayor David N. Cicilline, the new and unproven trumped experience as Angel Taveras — a lawyer who campaigned on his inspiring life story of coming up from poverty — captured the Democratic Party nomination by a wide margin on Tuesday, positioning him to become the city’s first Latino mayor.

The 40-year-old former city Housing Court judge defeated two veteran Federal Hill Democrats with strong ties to the city’s traditional political establishment — City Councilman John J. Lombardi and state Rep. Steven M. Costantino –– as well as perennial candidate Christopher F. Young.

With all 88 precincts reporting, Taveras had captured about 48 percent of the vote; Lombardi was in second place with about 29 percent; Costantino had about 20 percent; and Young was last with less than 2 percent of the vote.

Addressing a jubilant crowd in a parking lot on downtown Westminster Street, Taveras highlighted the significance of his landslide victory in a race observers had been saying for months would be too close to call.

“The people of Providence have spoken and tonight we have made history,” he said.

Taveras would be 1st Hispanic mayor of Providence

Taveras would be 1st Hispanic mayor of Providence
By Eric Tucker Associated Press Writer September 15, 2010

Angel Taveras on Tuesday won the Democratic nomination in the Providence mayor's race, pushing the Harvard-educated lawyer closer to becoming the first Hispanic leader in the capital city's history.
Taveras, a 40-year-old former city housing court judge, won easily with 49 percent of the vote, compared with 29 percent for City Councilman John Lombardi, who briefly served as mayor in 2002 after Vincent "Buddy" Cianci was sent to prison for corruption, and 20 percent for influential state Rep. Steven Costantino.

Taveras -- who at his victory celebration led his supporters in cheers of "Yes, We Can!" -- has a smooth path to mayorhood ahead of him. No Republican is running against him, and his only opponent in the Nov. 2 general election is a poorly funded independent.