PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — City councilors gave final passage in a 9-6 vote to a controversial rent stabilization ordinance on Thursday night, which Mayor Brett Smiley has already promised to veto.
“The council took action to protect renters and their families in the city of Providence,” Providence City Council President Rachel Miller said after the vote. “This is a historic night.”
Smiley spokesperson Josh Estrella said in a statement following the vote that while the mayor and council share the goal of affordable housing, “rent control policies do not lower rents.”…