Sam G. Howard

@samghoward

Rhode Islander, education union data organizer and Democratic ward committee member. Recovering comms pro, RI's leading vexillologist (probably). Occasionally blogs at riliberator.com

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Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 20d

Of course, months later, he was blaming underfunding.

Today, after intense rains across the city, we saw our city infrastructure fail us. Decades of underfunding, faulty repairs by the city and by vendors and years of inconsistent maintenance have resulted in deteriorating infrastructure right in our neighborhoods.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 20d

Poor roads are due to "lack of planning and poor leadership" www.smileyformayor.com/news

Providence mayoral candidate Brett Smiley does pothole patrol with ABC 6
04.06.2022

Providence mayoral candidate Brett Smiley, who launched his campaign last week, is focusing on “quality of life” issues in the capital city.

ABC 6 News caught up with Brett about how he plans to focus on cleaning up the roads in Providence. He said that the condition of the roads in the city are not due to a lack of funding, but a lack of planning and proper leadership.

Read More

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 21d

Providence FOP used AI to chadify Rep. Morales.

Header of a Providence Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 AI "infographic" called "Debunking David Morales" - it shows a very fit, square-jawed fellow who looks vaguely like mayoral candidate State Rep. David Morales.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 22d

Sometimes I try to do the ol’ Twitter local “what the heck is going on?” stuff. Last time, a chemical plant exploded.

Screenshot of an NBC10 article about an explosion at an East Providence chemical plant that injured 11 people.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 22d

Yep, @danieldenvir.bsky.social hits directly on the major weakness of Smiley: promises of technocracy that don't match up with reality while demanding that Providence residents expect less from their city government. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/17/m...

The mayor’s pitch is that we should think small and be satisfied that he is a competent technocrat who often delivers the bare minimum in municipal services. And yet everyone who lived through this past winter’s blizzards knows that Smiley has failed on his own terms. He tapped Patricia Coyne-Fague, former Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, to lead the city’s disastrous snow response as head of the Department of Public Works. She had no relevant experience. As Mamdani has made clear in New York, democratic socialism’s first task is to demonstrate that “government can deliver.”

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 25d

I don't know man, former Journal reporter Charlie Bakst's Facebook page has some wild comments. This is a sitting Republican state rep.

Brian C Newberry
·
Because the Democratic base hates Jews, Charlie. I mean c'mon man. Weren't you a reporter? You don't see the obvious or just can't bring yourself to see it because it's too painful?

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 25d

Lol. (The video accompanying this was taken from the beach.)

Providence Librarians have tried to delegitimize my campaign for Mayor of Providence because I am not on the ballot. They removed me from the debates. Write-in campaigns, the route I took when I felt the Providence Canvassers Board was cheating me with 5 days to go, are very legit. See less

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 25d

I could imagine some sort of festival held in early summer... A festival in Providence... A "Providence Festival" if you will. Maybe that's too long a name.

However, Providence is already drawing one primary takeaway – and it's not economic.

"The people of the city and regionally are hungry for an opportunity like this, to continue to gather in public space," Wilson said. "Now that we've done this and we've seen the interest, there is a desire to recreate something like this on a more permanent level."

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 28d

Meanwhile, on Facebook...

Waters for Mayor of Providence
Yesterday at 12:47 PM ·

There is no way Republican Dave 'The Turtle' 🐢 Talan can beat Democrat Socialist David 'The Candy 🍬 🍫 🍭 Man' Morales for Providence Mayor. Only Allen 'Shaft' Waters can defeat the wily Socialists. This is why I am still the independent, now also the write-in, Mayoral candidate. It's really the OG versus NG is my prediction if David Morales the Providence Democratic Party Primary race.

Waters for Mayor of Providence
A Commonsense Revolutionary
Say my name. Write my name.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· 29d

GoLocalProv has an attack piece dredging up old complaints against Eric Hyers, but this line stood out to me. Let's check on this "highly contested" primary in 2012.

In 2012, Cicilline, after one term in Congress, faced a highly contested Democratic primary. Businessman Anthony Gemma both challenged Cicilline in the Democratic primary. Via: https://www.golocalprov.com/politics/foulkes-top-campaign-advisor-perpetrated-the-big-lie-on-ri-in-2010

2012 RI Primary Results

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1
Candidate Total votes Pct
David N. CICILLINE (DEM) 30203 62.1%
Anthony P. GEMMA (DEM) 14702 30.2%
Christopher F. YOUNG (DEM) 3701 7.6%

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 10

Pat Ford's bills to change that were held for further study (also had some significant flaws).

Legislation introduced in RI's general assembly to redefine a "political party" for the purposes of ballot access. Both bills were "held for further study," a legislative limbo that is usually used to stop further consideration of legislation.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 10

This is fundamental problem here. If the RIGOP doesn't run candidates, no one can actually replace that. 28 candidates is the fewest seats Republicans have contested in the 113-seat era (prior to that it was 2014 when they ran 36). RI needs more parties (& perhaps a different ballot access method).

Here in New England, the Republican Party is struggling to gain traction and recruit candidates, Marion said. “Rhode Island used to have a strong tradition of liberal Republicans, but the days of (former Governor) Lincoln Chafee and (former Senate minority leader) Lila Sapinsley Republicans are gone.”

Republicans now hold just 18 of the 113 Assembly seats, including 10 of the 75 House seats, and four of the 38 Senate seats. This year, the Rhode Island Republican Party is running 28 candidates, including 20 in the House and eight in the Senate.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 10

Once again, an RI flag redesign fails to hit the mark.

r/vexillology post: Rhode Island flag remake (Remaking US
Flags Series) part 4

[flag image of a gold-white-blue (in order starting from top) horizontal tricolor with a golden anchor surrounded by 13 gold stars in the center of the white stripe]

My redesign of the Rhode Island state flag. I kept the iconic anchor as the centerpiece since it has represented hope and the state's maritime heritage for centuries, but simplified it into a clean, modern silhouette. The thirteen stars remain to represent Rhode Island as one of the original Thirteen Colonies, arranged in a balanced circle around the anchor. I replaced the complex original design with horizontal gold, white, and navy stripes to symbolize prosperity, peace, and the Atlantic Ocean. The result is a flag that's much easier to recognize from a distance while preserving Rhode Island's history and identity.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 9

Mayors should be more sober when touting crime stats; violent crime in Providence is actually up this year so far over last year to the same point and has been for more than a month. And this data doesn't include the five people who were shot earlier this week. ppd.providenceri.gov/wp-content/u...

Providence police stats showing a 3% YTD increase in violent crime through 7/5/26, driven by increases in homicides, robberies w/o firearms, and aggravated assaults w/o firearms.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 8

Oh no, the Bezos opinion section no one cares about any more is crying, whatever will RI do?

WaPo Opinions editorial decrying RI's new law that requires a human cashier to self-checkout ratio.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 7

Given that Pelino wins "moderate" GOP voters on the panel (all 38 of them), and that 82% of those "moderates" also rated Robert Raimondo unfavorable (presumably b/c of his name being Raimondo), my assumption here is that they're pulling in a lot of low-information voters onto this panel.

Polling of Likely RIGOP primary voters showing their favorability of three declared candidates.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 7

I don't know guys, hard to square 32% of UNH panel respondents saying they are likely to leave RI against the tenth of that who actually leave in any given year. scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcont...

% of RI residents by their Likelihood and Desire to Leave Rhode Island

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 7

Valicenti also paints this as a lawsuit out of nowhere, instead of the reality that the DMV tried to revoke a license plate (FKGAS) they'd already issued and the owner successfully fighting them... because the standard was completely arbitrary. www.wpri.com/news/local-n...

“The DMV has prohibited such combinations as AIDS, CHRIST, GAY, JESUS, LESBIAN, REDNECK and YANKEE. But it has issued plates that read CHRIST, JEWISH, REDNEC AND REDNEK,” McElroy said. “It has prohibited words that are typically denigrating, such as CHUBBY and SLOB, but allowed FATT and OLDFRT.”

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 7

I had blocked and reported the last one, so now it’s a new front.

Hi Samuel,
I represent a qualified buyer in Providence looking to acquire Rhode Island Community
Food Bank.
You wouldn't pay a thing. Your business stays off the market. Completely confidential.
If you'd consider selling for the right offer, reply and I'll send next steps.
Julie Aguilar
Strategist | Munera Capital
954 Ave Ponce De Leon STE 205
San Juan, PR, United States
PS - if this isn't for you, just let me know

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 7

Fascinated by the RIGOP's endorsed candidate for governor posting (on LinkedIn) that he has "won the nomination" despite polling showing him trailing his opponent by more than 20 points.

A LinkedIn post by Aaron Guckian saying he is "officially nominated" accompanied by a video with the slogan "Aaron Guckian Wins Rhode Island Republican Nominee for Governor"

Polling from UNH Ocean State Poll showing Elaine Pelino with a 19% lead over Guckian in April and a 25 pt lead over him in June.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 7

Slight quibble: I think the way you present the narrative of Corbyn's 2015 leadership victory is the establishment comfort version to make the defeat more palatable, because while he won registered supporters overwhelmingly, he won landslides among members and affiliates as well.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 2

Thinking about this article again in light of this op-ed arguing that (now federal) deer control strategies are impractical, the wrong species, and ignores advances on a vaccine. www.cidrap.umn.edu/lyme-disease...

The vaccine RFK Jr doesn’t mention
The plan's most telling feature is what it left out. Two months before the announcement, Pfizer and Valneva reported that their Lyme vaccine had passed its final major trial, cutting confirmed cases by about 73% in people aged five years and older. Company officials said they would seek approval this year.

It would be the first Lyme vaccine available here since 2002. An effort billed as the most ambitious ever waged against Lyme, unveiled weeks after the first effective Lyme vaccine in a generation crossed the finish line, did not mention it. The silence fits Kennedy's long record against vaccines, and it shapes the prevention plan he offered instead, which leans on cutting ticks on deer.

Deer feed the adult ticks, but they are not where the bacterium lives; in the Northeast it is kept alive mostly in white-footed mice. Culling deer can lower tick numbers, but only at impractically low deer densities, and it does little to touch the reservoir that keeps infecting them. A plan that promotes a blunt tick measure while ignoring a vaccine that just proved itself has its priorities reversed.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 1

The obvious solution here would be for the Democratic establishment to fight harder when in opposition, something that the Democratic base has repeatedly said they want.

[Highlighted:] Under Republican presidencies, the DSA thrives on frustrated Democratic voters feeling that their party’s leaders aren’t fighting hard enough.[end highlight] During Democratic presidencies, which the DSA mostly spends denouncing the occupant of the Oval Office as a sellout, Democratic loyalists have less patience for factional complaints.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jul 1

Dying does make it hard to tend to your business interests. www.oceanstatemedia.org/history/a-ta...

In 1782, the wealthy entrepreneur Aaron Lopez tried to return to rekindle his business empire. But when his carriage stopped to water the horses during his journey, one of his horses bolted, and Lopez drowned. His business interests never fully recovered.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jun 30

UNH panel says McKee’s edging up but still at least 20 pts behind, meanwhile Elaine Pelino leads Aaron Guckian for the RIGOP nomination: scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcont...

A set of 2026 gubernatorial polling for RI.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jun 30

Hmm... perhaps that signals these jobs are not actually "lucrative"? www.providencejournal.com/story/news/p...

That might sound like a huge draw for candidates to vie for these lucrative part-time jobs. But when the deadline for candidate declarations fell on Wednesday June 24, 60% of Rhode Island's legislative seats were uncontested.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jun 29

TIL it's Promenade St. because it took you to the Cove Promenade.

A map of central Providence, RI in 1901, showing the route of Promenade St to the Cove Basin.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jun 29

Of course, I wanted to see what the situation was when he was born, so here's a snippet of a 1901 atlas that showed Providence. North of the Woonasquatucket, the area today labeled "Olneyville" on Google Maps is still the village of Rutenburg. South of Olneyville is West Providence.

A 1901 map of Providence, showing the defunct villages Rutenburg, West Providence, and Merino Village. A basin that is the remnant of the actual Silver Lake is also present.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jun 29

This is his birth site now.

US Federal Post Office in the Olneyville neighborhood of Rhode Island.

Sam G. Howard@samghoward· Jun 29

She's very concerned about so many of the RIGOP candidates being from around Quonset, but she's using AI to do the research, so TIL Tiverton is actually in the West Bay.