Dear Neighbor,
PROVIDENCE MAYOR JORGE O. ELORZA
As I close out my time as Mayor, I want to thank you for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I will always cherish the extraordinary experience that it has been to lead this city as your Mayor over the past 8 years. I have grown as a person and as a leader and I thank you profoundly.
Over my tenure, whether you have agreed with my decisions or not, I want you to know that I have given my all to this job. I have brought a relentless work ethic to my job every day, I have strived to lead with ethics and honesty, and I have always sought to take on our city’s toughest, most important challenges.
Many people have asked me: what are you proudest of and what do you most regret? My team and I have put together a summary of our proudest accomplishments that answers the first part of the question. I am thankful to all of our partners, especially the members of the City Council, without whom none of this would be possible. I also feel indebted to all of our supporters at the federal, state and local level, including the vast network of community leaders and organizations that make our city so special. Overall, I am proud that I am fulfilling every mayor’s goal: to leave the city in a better place than I found it. I hope you will review the attached list and take pride in what we’ve accomplished together.
I want to use this opportunity to also highlight my biggest regret: not being able to turn around our traditional public schools. It was not for lack of trying, but the brutal truth is that the traditional public schools are still falling short. It has been this way for decades and I am afraid that if we, collectively, do not demand more, they will continue to fail our kids. I have been vocal in calling for an expansion of high-performing public charter schools and I hope that, going forward, you will carry on the conversation and advocate for the only thing that matters: the best interests of our kids.
As I transition out of office, I feel full of energy and am excited about the next chapter in my life. I look forward to spending lots of time with Stephanie and Omar here in Providence and hopefully staying in touch with so many of you. We live in the best city in America and I look forward to seeing the even greater heights that the city will reach under Mayor Smiley’s leadership.
Thank you for this amazing honor and privilege!
Yours truly,
Jorge O. Elorza