[A LETTER FROM AUBREY]Hi Friends,My name is Aubrey Planitz. I live in Washington Park, and I am running for Providence City Council in Ward 10. You may not know me yet, and that is okay. I am not a politician. I am your neighbor.I was raised just outside Detroit, the eldest daughter of a working-class family that knew what it meant to stretch a paycheck. I was taught early the importance of family, community, and hard work. After more than a decade as a New Englander, I found my forever home here in Washington Park in 2022.Since then, I have fallen for this place and the people in it. Washington Park has always been rich with history, families, workers, immigrants, elders, and neighbors who made this community home.I am running because that same neighborhood carries too much today and gets too little back. Broken sidewalks and trash that sits. A grocery store too far to walk to. Calls to the city that go nowhere. Rent and utilities that keep climbing. Truck traffic, pollution, flooding concerns, and industrial impacts from the Port that no neighborhood should be told are just normal. Environmental health is personal to me, and I do not accept that our part of the city should carry that burden quietly.I am not running because I want a title. I am running because I have watched residents ask for basic things and get ignored, and I know I can help. In my work, I organize complicated problems, track the follow-up, dig through the data, and push until I get real answers. I want to put those same habits to work for you, on housing, on our streets and services, and on the environmental health of this neighborhood, with residents first.I am not promising magic. I am promising to show up, to answer when you call, to follow up, and to be honest about what is hard and where we need to push together. Ward 10 deserves someone who treats your street like it matters, because to me it does.I cannot do this alone. Please make sure you are registered to vote, and make a plan to vote in the Democratic primary on Wednesday, September 9. A mail ballot is an option if that is easier.So tell me: what is happening on your street? What has the city ignored? What do you want us to fight for?Your neighbor,
Aubrey

A PLAN FOR WARD 10

Four priorities focused on affordability, safety, health, and everyday quality of life.

WHERE I STAND━━━━━━━━━━Affordable Housing & Responsible DevelopmentBuild housing Providence families can actually afford without over-densifying our neighborhoods. I’ll fight for deeper affordability, responsible zoning, adequate parking, union labor, renter protections, and development that puts residents before developers.Environmental Health & the PortSouth Providence has carried the burden of pollution for too long. I’ll fight Port expansion, strengthen enforcement, expand independent environmental and health monitoring, hold repeat polluters accountable, and plan for cleaner, community-centered development.Community Services & ResourcesCity government should work for every neighborhood. I’ll fight for cleaner streets, responsive 311 services, stronger property enforcement, help for homeowners who need repairs, and real action on neglected properties and vacant storefronts.Public Schools, Children & FamiliesOur schools should help every child thrive. I’ll fight for well-funded classrooms, better teacher pay, free breakfast and lunch, expanded after-school programs, school-based health services, and stronger pathways from PPSD to college.Public SafetyPublic safety is more than policing. I’ll push for a full review of police spending and overtime before increasing its budget, while investing in youth programs, safer streets, neighborhood services, and the resources that prevent problems before they become emergencies.Privacy & Flock CamerasI oppose the use of Flock cameras in Providence. Constantly tracking where people drive creates a powerful surveillance system that can be misused, shared beyond our community, and used against innocent people. These cameras do not prevent crime. I would rather invest in accountable community policing, youth programs, safer streets, and services that address problems before they happen. Public safety should not require giving up our privacy.Immigration & ICEICE out of Rhode Island. Providence should not use city property, personnel, police, or other local resources to help carry out federal immigration enforcement. I’ll fight to end voluntary cooperation with ICE, protect residents’ privacy and access to city services, and support stronger protections for our schools and other community spaces. Every family should be able to live, work, learn, and seek help in Providence without fear.Palestine & DivestmentI support Providence’s divestment ballot measure and signed the petition to put it before voters. I believe our public money should not be invested in companies that profit from or enable the genocide in Gaza. Providence should invest in our communities, not in war, occupation, or human rights abuses.