10 to Watch 2013

James Diossa

Mayor-elect, Central Falls

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How he got into politics:
Diossa grew up in Central Falls’ Colombian-American community, one of the city’s largest ethnic groups and an emerging power base. A product of the public school system, he went to Worcester’s Becker College to study criminal justice, but returned to his home city to serve it. “I always had that desire to give back to the city that’s done so much for me and my family,” he says. “It’s given me an excellent education. It’s given me the opportunity to grow up in a diverse community and learn different cultures. It allowed my dad to buy a house. It’s been a very good community to us.”

What we can learn from one square mile:
If the smallest city with the biggest problems is able pull itself back from the brink, it gives hope to other struggling communities. Providence Mayor Taveras has been a supporter of Diossa, and having two young Latino mayors in charge of cities with large minority populations represents a real changing of the guard in local politics. Central Falls has provided valuable lessons for other urban communities grappling with similarly difficult circumstances, particularly Providence. “I think what everyone can learn is that we can no longer kick the can down the road as far as pension responsibilities – and most importantly, that all elected officials need to be held accountable for every decision that is made,” says Diossa. “We’re here today because of bad decisions, bad negotiations and false promises in the past. We were the canary in the coal mine.”

What he represents:
Renewal for a city that’s badly in need of it. Diossa will be the first Latino mayor of this predominantly Latino city. As it begins to emerge from bankruptcy, Central Falls will have a mayor and govern itself for the first time since July 2010. Thus, the stage is set for a fresh start. “I’m not a huge supporter of what’s happened in the city,” Diossa says of the tumultuous last couple of years, “but I think it was necessary to find out what went wrong. That was very important to the city. I think it can start new. What’s happened is that the city has lacked a strong leader. That’s what we need now.”

james diossa, mayor, central falls, ri, rhode island, leadership ri, 10 to watch, 2013, providence monthly

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