City Council Committee Leaders Elected

Council Committees on Public Works, Ordinances, Claims & Pending Suits, State Legislative Affairs and City Property convened tonight to elect committee chairmen

Providence, RI- Members of the Providence City Council held five committee meetings tonight to elect the chairmen of the Committees on Public Works, Ordinances, Claims & Pending Suits, State Legislative Affairs and City Property.

Public Works

Councilman Oscar Vargas

Councilman Oscar Vargas (Ward 15) was elected to serve as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Works, which oversees abandonments and easements filed with the city as well as general operations of the city such as snow removal and street sweeping.

“I look forward to working with my council colleagues to ensure that essential city functions are delivered at the highest quality to all neighborhoods across the city. From snow removal to street cleaning and street sweeping, city residents are relying on us to get the job done quickly and efficiently, and that is exactly what I plan to do as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Works,” stated Councilman Vargas.

Ordinances

Councilman Pedro Espinal

Councilman Pedro Espinal (Ward 10) was elected to serve as the Chairman of the Committee on Ordinances, which handles zoning changes, and the general laws of the city.

“I would like to thank my Council colleagues for electing me to serve as the Chairman of the Committee on Ordinances. I am committed to serving with integrity and attention to detail as we oversee the legislative process for the City Council,” stated Councilman Espinal.

Claims and Pending Suits, City Property, and State Legislative Affairs

Councilman John Goncalves

Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) was elected to serve as the Chairman of three committees. The Committee on Claims & Pending Suits handles all claims filed against the city such as potholes or trip and fall law suits. The Committee on City Property oversees the sale, leasing and transfer of any City owned property. The Committee on State Legislative Affairs supervises Council support and/or opposition to legislative initiatives at the state level.

“I am honored to have been selected by my Council colleagues to serve as the Chairman of these three committees. The committees of the City Council oversee a broad and diverse pool of issues from local quality of life concerns to statewide initiatives with far reaching effects. I am ready to hit the ground running and tackle a robust agenda in this legislative session,” said Goncalves.