HEY, I’M AUBREY.
I was raised in a working-class family where hard work, fairness, and looking out for other people were simply expected. Those values shaped who I am: someone who works hard, speaks up when something isn’t right, listens before making decisions, and believes people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Today, I work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and live in Washington Park with my girlfriend, Tay, and our two dogs. Over the past four years, I’ve come to deeply love Washington Park and the South Side—the people, the history, the neighborhood pride, and the neighbors who consistently show up for one another.
I’m running for City Council because I want to bring that same work ethic and sense of responsibility to Ward 10. I don’t believe I have all the answers, and I’m not interested in speaking for people who are already doing the work. I want to listen, be accessible, follow through, and work alongside the residents, organizations, and community leaders who know these neighborhoods best.
a Washington Park neighbor with working-class roots in the Detroit area.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
Ward 10 deserves more than promises. We deserve a councilor who shows up, takes action, and fights for the people who already call our neighborhoods home.
My priorities come from what I hear at doors and see in our community every day: housing people can afford, cleaner air, safer streets, stronger schools, better neighborhood investment, and a city where every neighbor feels safe and welcome.
These aren’t just things I care about. They’re areas where the City Council has the power to act — through legislation, the city budget, oversight, and the votes we cast.
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Rents in Providence are up 40% since 2020. Homelessness in Rhode Island went up 35% in a single year. More than 24,000 evictions have happened in this city since March 2020. Our current councilor voted against rent stabilization twice, and when the override vote came… he didn't show up. He has taken over $31,000 from landlords and real estate investors since 2018, with more than $22,000 of that coming in just the last two years while rent stabilization was being debated.
As your councilor, I will introduce a rent stabilization ordinance, introduce tenant protection ordinances, and vote yes when they come up. I'll put our neighbors first — not the people profiting off them.
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Rhode Island Recycled Metals has caught fire at least four times in six years. South Providence and Washington Park are designated "frontline communities" in the city's own Climate Justice Plan, and asthma rates here are among the highest in the country. Our current councilor has offered resolutions — but introduced zero enforceable ordinances against the polluters. He has taken nearly $5,000 from Port and industrial interests since 2018, including multiple donations from Waterson Terminal Services.
As your councilor, I will introduce ordinances that carry real penalties for pollution violations and use the Ordinance Committee to hold polluters accountable instead of stalling. Our air, our health, and our waterfront are not for sale.
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From 2019 to 2023, Providence had 36 fatal crashes, 284 serious injury crashes, and over 9,000 crashes total. Pedestrians and cyclists are hit hardest, and in Ward 10, speeding and reckless driving are a daily problem. In seven years, our current councilor has not introduced a single ordinance to address it.
As your councilor, I will introduce an ordinance for license-plate-only speed cameras on documented problem streets and an ordinance for more lit crosswalks and stop signs at dangerous intersections. Real measures, not studies. Our streets should work for the people who live on them — not just the people driving through.
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South Providence is a designated food desert. Vacant lots sit undeveloped while tax breaks go to developers building in other neighborhoods. Our current councilor has introduced no ordinance to tax vacant lots, no ordinance to prioritize city purchase of vacant land for affordable housing, and no plan for walkable neighborhood amenities. As your councilor, I will introduce an ordinance taxing vacant lots so owners either develop them or sell, and an ordinance prioritizing city purchase of vacant land for permanently affordable housing.
I will push for grocery stores, pharmacies, and green space in Ward 10. Every neighbor in this ward should be able to walk 10 to 15 minutes to the things they need — a school, a grocery store, a pharmacy, a doctor's office. That's not a luxury.
That's what every other neighborhood already has.
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Immigrant families in our neighborhoods are afraid to report crimes, seek help, or interact with city services. Fear makes everyone less safe.
As your councilor, I will vote against any agreement that deputizes local police as federal immigration agents. I will support the divestment ballot question in November. And I will vote to keep local law enforcement focused on local public safety.
Every neighbor in Ward 10 deserves to feel safe — regardless of where they were born or what they look like.
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Providence is the capital city. Our teachers deserve to be paid fairly, and our students deserve the best schools in the state.
I'm endorsed by the Providence Teachers Union because I believe in our schools. As your councilor, I will vote for full funding of Providence public schools, support fair compensation for teachers, and support schools within walking distance for Ward 10 students.
Our kids deserve better than what they're getting, and our teachers deserve to be able to build careers here.
WHY I'M RUNNING AS A WRITE-IN
BECAUSE our neighborhoods didn't stop needing representation AFTER THE PRIMARY.
Washington Park and Lower South Providence have been redlined, disinvested, and overlooked for generations. We carry the burden of environmental racism along our waterfront. Enough is enough.
In under seven weeks, we knocked on close to 1,000 doors and talked to nearly 200 residents. That was with three people and almost no money. Imagine what more conversations could do.
The more people know there's a second option on the ballot, the more possible this becomes. Not someone who shows up for photo ops — someone who does the job.
No one has won a write-in city council race in Rhode Island. We can be the first, because we cannot afford four more years of neglect or special interests paying their way in our ward.
Washington Park and Lower South Providence deserve better.
HOW TO WRITE ME IN
STEP 1:
FIND THE RACE
Locate the City Council ward 10 voting box.
STEP 2:
FILL IN THE OVAL
Completely fill in the oval next to WRITE-IN.
If you do not, your vote will NOT count.
STEP 3:
WRITE MY NAME
On the write-in line, print AUBREY PLANITZ.
sTEP 4.
DOUBLE CHECK
Make sure my name is written correctly and the oval is filled in completely.