PROVIDENCE – A former city councilman has jumped in to the city mayoral race, filing paperwork on Wednesday to run as an independent candidate, WPRI reported.
Wilbur Jennings served two terms on the Providence City Council, representing the Reservoir and West End neighborhoods from 2010 to 2018, according to an archived version of the city website. Jennings’ entrance into the mayoral race comes on the final day for candidates to submit their paperwork ahead of the November election; as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the R.I. Department of State’s website did not include Jennings among the candidates seeking the top seat at city hall.
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Jennings joins three Democrats vying for former Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s spot: Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune, former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo top aide Brett Smiley and Gonzalo Cuervo, the former deputy secretary of state and former chief of staff to Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea.
Jennings, who could not be reached for comment, told WPRI that he decided to run to ensure that the victor of the Democratic primary still faced an opponent in the November general election, since there were no other independents or Republican candidates in the race.
Jennings is a lifelong Providence resident who worked for the city for 28 years, including several leadership roles in its public works department, according to his former council profile on the city website.
If he qualifies for the ballot, Jennings will appear on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
