Brett Smiley...

Brett Smiley is a progressive democrat and a political newcomer by Rhode Island standards, having moved here in 2006. His campaign has been about plans for the future and intensive direct mailings of position papers have outlined many interesting ideas and changes.

Smiley comes across as likeable, bright and thoughtful - not usual qualities in RI politics, but he was also the first and most vocal of the candidates to tee off on former Mayor Buddy Cianci’s intent to run. The skirmish earned him added respect in certain circles and showed that he was principled and willing to get in the ring with the big boys.
Chided for being a “policy wonk” by his opponents, he counters “policy matters. “Providence needs a good and sensible urban policy to have positive growth.”

His strong East Side base has seen a little erosion, but he has picked up ground in other parts of the city and he’s feels he is “well positioned for the final weeks.” He feels he knows the inner working of city government better than anyone since he has worked for both Mayor David Cicilline as an advisor and a lobbyist and then for Mayor Angel Taveras who also selected him to head the Providence Water Supply Board.

“Angel did not fix the entire problem, obviously. He bought us time,” Smiley explains. “I am the most fiscally responsible of all of the candidates. We have to completely de-politicize City Hall and restructure the way that we promote economic development. Tax stabilizations play a critical role in development but they have to be restructured to phase in the taxes as the present structure is unsustainable and places an unrealistic burden on the developer.”

“We need a working waterfront that can grow and provide new jobs. We need more police by district and we need to have a level of fire protection that we can afford,” he adds.

Smiley wants to see investment in “meds & eds” and an increased focus on tourism. “Look,” he explains, “we have a narrow window of time to meet the obligations ahead and we have little left to tax or cut. We need better management and leadership that doesn’t owe anything to anyone.”

Smiley is a product of public schools and has a degree and an MBA from DePaul University. He lives on George Street with his husband, Jim DeRentis a real estate broker with Residential Properties. Smiley runs an accounting and election compliance firm and is active in a number of non-profits including Planned Parenthood, Marriage Equality RI and RI Communities for Addiction Recovery.