The newly elected mayor of Providence, the son of Dominican immigrants, Angel Taveras, knew that the city was in trouble when he took office as the first Hispanic mayor of the city in January 2011. Because of that, he immediately met with local unions and spelled out his message, focusing on preparing for future concessions. He said, “I need your help.” It so happened that he needed a lot more help than he imagined. The city, the capital of the US state of Rhode Island, was US$110,000,000 in the red, and close to municipal bankruptcy.
Now, after a little more than half of his tenure, the 42-year old and possible gubernatorial candidate has brought the city back from the brink of disaster in a state that has battled with one of the highest unemployment rates in the United States for years. He cut expenses in all city offices, closed schools, eliminated jobs and raised taxes. He also raised millions from the city’s tax-exempt institutions, including Brown University. He negotiated with the unions and managed to get a ten-year freeze on pensions and avoided a costly court fight. He reduced US$178 million from the US$900 million that was sinking the city’s finances, and is currently saving US$18 million more this year.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/03/31/dominican-mayor-leads-rhode-island-capital-out-financial-peril/