Providence mayoral candidates seek votes with similar campaigns. Here are the differences

With a chance to make a convincing pitch to South Elmwood voters on Monday night, all three candidates vying to be Providence's next mayor sounded remarkably similar.

Do they support charter schools? Yes. Do they support funding for reparations? Yes. Would they work to improve city services? Absolutely. What would they do to address quality of life? More trash bins, of course.

At the end of the forum in the sanctuary of Centro Cristiano de Adoracion Church, the Rev. Hazael Morell, the moderator, asked candidates to differentiate themselves in their closing statements. Each said they were best suited to pursue an agenda that, in sum is comparable to that of their rivals.

But there were subtle differences.

ATVs and off-road motorcycles

Asked how they would handle the citywide nuisance of ATVs and off-road motorcycles on the streets, their approaches varied. Brett Smiley made clear his belief that state police intervention is necessary to crack down on illegal riding. Last year, Gov. Dan McKee offered the help of state police to Providence, which accepted. Smiley believes that help should be brought back. However, one year after Smiley said he is "very open to exploring" a place for riders to recreate, he now does not think they are truly interested in the idea.

Gonzalo Cuervo is adamantly opposed to the city enlisting the help of the state, contending that local police should be trusted to handle to issue. "The solutions are there, the models are there," he said. "We just need leadership."

Police Chief Col. Hugh T. Clements Jr. has touted his department's efforts to get ATVs off the streets, though he has pointed out that various other cities are plagued by the same issue.

Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune, who lives off North Main Street, offered a personal anecdote. Her daughter was nearly hit by an ATV while out walking in the area, LaFortune said, contending that Providence needs to work with bordering cities "to ensure that enforcement goes across the board." Unlike Smiley, she believes in finding a place off the streets that riders can enjoy recreationally.

Police funding

When it comes to funding for the police, no candidates voiced support for cutting the public safety budget. However, opinions the presence of police in schools, known as student resource officers, or SROs, were mixed.

Both LaFortune and Cuervo want SROs removed from schools, arguing they do not boost student performance. Cuervo, who said he worked as a substitute teacher at Mount Pleasant High School for a month last year, said he was "shocked and appalled" by an SRO who would "walk the halls … like a prison guard."

Conversely, Smiley said he supports amending but not eliminating the SRO program. Smiley said principals, faculty and parents should be able to determine whether they want an SRO, but he doesn’t think they should be in uniform or visibly armed.

Providence pensions

All questions during the forum came from the audience, touched upon a myriad of issues, including the city's finances, which Mayor Jorge Elorza recently said would be among his successor's biggest challenges. One audience member wondered whether the city could renegotiate hefty pension payouts that are crippling the city's system, though that's not possible.

Instead, LaFortune and Smiley reflected on Elorza's proposed pension obligation bond, a bailout which the mayor has already said may no longer be feasible under current market conditions. LaFortune added that the city should consider "transitioning to the state pension system." Lawrence Mancini, the city's chief financial officer, has previously said that joining the state system would be "almost as bad if not even worse," noting that the city already weighed the idea.

Cuervo, who did not mention the bond, said the city should focus on expanding its tax base and increasing revenue.

But the candidates have mulled that question before.

License-plate reading cameras

One new issue with which they were confronted at the forum? The city's deployment of license-plate reading cameras made by Atlanta-based company Flock Safety, whose technology has sprung up across the country and in Rhode Island.

Each candidate, while apparently supportive of the concept of using tech to catch criminals, offered measured criticism of the process. Smiley said he supports the use of the cameras "with appropriate safeguards for our civil liberties," an issue that's been raised by the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is generally opposed to increased surveillance.

Cuervo conceded that "we’re surrounded by technology and we essentially live in a surveillance state" but said the public wasn't given enough opportunity to comment before the cameras were installed. In a detailed policy, the Police Department said the cameras would be wiped of their data each month, but Cuervo said he doesn't "believe in the honor system."

"I’m always in favor of increasing technology that will make our city safer," LaFortune said, though she described the process as having lacked transparency while being implemented by "bad leadership" and "bad governance."

Voter registration deadline

As Providence residents determine which of the three candidates they believe is capable of handling all of the above, they'll have until Aug. 14 to register to vote in the Sept. 13 Democratic primary and make their voices heard. There are no Republican candidates.

Want to be the next mayor of Providence?: Prepare to be 'attacked from every angle'

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Mayoral candidates reveal subtle differences in campaigns, beliefs