David will launch a public-facing snow plow tracking map on the city’s website, allowing residents to see real-time snow removal activity during storm events and reducing confusion about where and when plows are operating.

The system will incorporate both city-operated plows and contracted snow removal vehicles, and will be modeled after successful platforms like the City of Rochester's PlowTrax system.

Future snow removal contracts will require participating vendors to support real-time location and activity reporting as part of standard performance expectations.

David will work with the City Council Committee on Public Works to reform the City’s snow removal procurement and contracting strategy, prioritizing expanded seasonal staffing to strengthen in-house capacity while maintaining strategic contractor support.

This approach will be centered on proactivity and accountability, including:

• Onboarding winter contractors at the end of summer, not during emergencies

• Aligning seasonal staffing levels and contractor capacity as part of a single, coordinated snow response plan

• Establishing a standing, citywide snow response capacity aligned with historical storm severity (such as projections from the National Weather Service indicating over 10 inches of snow), rather than rebuilding response plans on an ad-hoc basis.

• Structuring snow removal contracts with tiered capacity and snowfall-triggered surge provision, so additional plows and operators are automatically activated during severe storms. 

• Requiring clear performance standards and real-time reporting from all snow removal operators, including vendors

• Establishing enforceable oversight and compliance mechanisms to ensure expectations are met during storm events.

Our administration will prioritize the clearing of streets, sidewalks, bus stops, and bike lanes because safe and accessible routes are critical to the lives of our neighbors, especially students, seniors, and residents with mobility challenges.

Months before winter, the City will put a clear operational plan in place. When forecasts indicate snowfall exceeding four inches, the City will activate pre-established contracts with local organizations and community groups to support sidewalk and bus stop clearing alongside municipal crews. By partnering with neighborhood based organizations, the City can create paid, short term work opportunities for underemployed residents who are able to assist with snow removal efforts. 

For neighbors who rely on public transportation, the administration will coordinate with RIPTA to prioritize clearing transit critical corridors and high ridership bus stops (such as bus routes serving Lines 17, 19, 55, 56, 57, 92 and the R-Line).

David will appoint a Director of Public Works with real, relevant municipal public works experience, consistent with the responsibilities outlined in the Providence City Charter (Article X, Sec. 1002).

Running a city’s Department of Public Works is not an entry-level management role, especially in a city with aging infrastructure and increasing climate volatility. It requires deep operational knowledge, emergency response experience, labor management skills, and a proven track record of leading complex municipal systems. 

Right now, Providence’s DPW is led by a Director without a background in municipal public work engineering or large-scale public works operations, and the consequences show up in real ways for our neighbors: disorganized storm response, weak contractor oversight, poor coordination across departments, and inconsistent communication.

David will ensure that parking bans remain in place long enough to allow for full, curb-to-curb snow clearing, with no premature lifting of restrictions while streets remain unsafe or inaccessible.

Public safety, accessibility, and full roadway clearance will take priority over speed or political convenience, so neighbors, emergency vehicles, transit, and service workers can move safely through the city after major storm events.

Parking maps will be proactively shared with residents who depend on street parking, ensuring clear guidance and accessible alternatives, such as city-owned lots, private parking garages, and church parking lots.

David will maintain proactive, transparent multilingual communication before, during, and after storm events through: regular press briefings, radio and television updates, coordinated messaging across social media and digital platforms, and neighborhood-level communication.