Editor’s Note: After the recent resignation of Ward 2 Councilwoman Helen Anthony, a special election is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2. Primary elections will take place on November 4. In advance of the election, the Eye is publishing op-eds from candidates. You can read Matt McDermott’s essay from last week here.
Earlier this year I read a remarkable little book called Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, which I have since been recommending to everyone I know and many I don’t. You could call it a Zen take on time management, but that doesn’t really do it justice. One chapter that stuck with me was about what Burkeman calls “Living in the News.” We are bombarded with terrible news every day from Washington, from Ukraine, from Israel and Gaza; there seems to be no limit. It’s easy to read the newspaper or doomscroll every day and just despair. So much is wrong, the world is burning, and it feels like we are helpless to do anything about it.
Burkeman’s advice is simple throughout the book – focus on the things you can do, things within your control. You can follow the news, but don’t get pulled into it so deep that you can’t get it out of your head. If you spend all day fixated on how the country is sliding into autocracy, you’ll generate a lot of anxiety, but you won’t solve the problem. Rather than fretting about problems you can’t fix, Burkeman urges us to try to make the world better in whatever small way is within our reach. That could be volunteering at the food bank, planting a garden, helping an elderly neighbor, or running for office.
I’m guilty of living in the news – there are days I would read the New York Times in the morning and could barely function for the rest of the day – feeling outrage, sadness, and fear. But when Helen Anthony announced she was stepping down from her Ward 2 City Council seat I saw an opportunity to extract myself from the news and do something good here in Providence. (For the record, I have never been much of a gardener).
What I quickly discovered as a candidate is that running for office in 2025 isn’t like running for office in 2014, or even 2024. The country and the world are different than they were a year ago, and Trump’s cruel and malicious policies are harming Providence and its residents in myriad ways. These are existential crises and we can’t avoid them, even at the city council level.
In Providence, multiple organizations serving our most vulnerable neighbors – children in foster care, trans youth, immigrants – have already lost critical funding. When the administration cut grants to Rhode Island schools because of a perceived “radical left-wing agenda,” the state education commissioner said, “no one saw this coming.” Thousands of Providence residents are likely to see their health insurance premiums double in 2025 because of changes to the Affordable Care Act. Trump’s recent decision to kill the Revolution Wind project will damage our economy in the short term and our climate in the long term unless recent court decisions withstand appeal. Every day seems to bring a new harmful initiative, some of which will be blocked by the courts, some of which will end when he changes his mind or loses focus, and some of which will survive long enough to do real damage. The uncertainty and chaos are intentional – it’s hard to respond effectively when the ground keeps moving.
So what can we do—practically, locally, right now?
Our city government needs to lead the way through this nightmare. Imagine a standing working group that brings together council members, the mayor’s office, legal aid, philanthropy, health providers, and community organizations. Its job: scan for policy shocks, line up alternate funding or services, and coordinate a response before people fall through the cracks. When grants are threatened, have a Plan B. When benefits rules change, mobilize navigators who can help families re-enroll or find substitutes. There are so many areas where we are at risk. We need to be proactive, we need to be aggressive – we need to fight for our city and for our neighbors.
None of this means that the city’s other problems can be ignored; they are as urgent as they have ever been. We must work to take back control of our public schools and improve outcomes for students. Better test scores, lower rates of absenteeism, and a higher four-year high school graduation rate are just three of the metrics we should be targeting. We have a housing crisis, which viewed more broadly is really an affordability crisis. If people who work in the city can’t afford to live here and if young families can’t afford to rent or buy a home, the effect on the city will be devastating – we will see greater income inequality, a shrinking tax base, and a shortage of essential workers. We need to work on all of these issues, and we need to do it in the shadow of the MAGA threat.
This is scary stuff with the potential to feel overwhelming. There’s so much work to do and the risk of doing nothing – or not doing enough – is substantial. Without quality public education, affordable housing, and a diverse community that is welcoming to all, we face an uncertain future. But Providence is worth fighting for. In a political campaign we tend to focus on problems that need to be fixed but as I talk to voters across Ward 2, I’m reminded daily of our many strengths. We are a home to talented artists, fantastic restaurants that draw visitors from around the country, and innovative small businesses that drive our economy. It’s up to us to ensure the city we love continues to thrive.
Burkeman is right; now that I’m in the fight I’m less anxious and more optimistic for our future. If you feel that same anxiety when you follow the national news (or maybe when you read this essay), I’d encourage you to pull away from the big picture and look closer to home. Find something squarely within your power and do that one thing.
In Judaism there is a concept called tikkun olam – “repairing the world.” As I have been walking through Ward 2 these past few weeks I have seen many examples of tikkun olam, from hyper-local food pantries (in the model of a Little Free Library) to neighborhood gatherings that foster a real sense of community. It doesn’t have to be a major project – even the smallest act of kindness improves our lives and reduces our stress. Call a local non-profit to see how you can help. Check in on an elderly neighbor. Attend a Council hearing on an issue that matters to you. Plant a metaphorical garden if, like me, the literal one isn’t your thing. And if you’re looking for a nudge to begin, read Meditations for Mortals. Take some deep breaths and feel gratitude for the people and places that make Providence truly special.
Jeff Levy is a Democratic candidate in the special election for Providence City Council in Ward 2, where he and his family have lived since 1998. He is a partner at the law firm of Levy & Blackman LLP in Wayland Square. He has done pro bono legal work to protect voting and civil rights in Rhode Island, Florida and Pennsylvania and has served on several local non-profit boards, most notably as the longtime president of the Fox Point East Side Little League.
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