Incumbent
Providence Mayor winner?
$17.3K
NOV 7, 2026
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Overview
Current roleMayor
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyModerate Democrat
Age47 years old (May 7, 1979)
GenderMale
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LocationRhode Island
BackgroundPolitician
EducationDePaul University — B.S. (Finance)
Notable personal detailsBrett Peter Smiley is an American politician and Democrat who has served as the 39th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, since January 2, 2023. He previously served as Providence chief operating officer and later as chief of staff to Governor Gina Raimondo. Smiley also served as director of the Rhode Island Department of Administration (2019–2021). He earned a finance degree and an MBA from DePaul University.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
Brett Smiley’s municipal budgets and public statements show a mix of approaches to tax policy: some budgets and proposals have included property-tax increases or changes to the tax levy, while other budget proposals and subsequent budgets emphasized avoiding tax increases for residents or businesses. His position appears context-dependent, balancing revenue-raising measures and efforts to limit or avoid raising taxes in different years.
Healthcare
The candidate prioritizes expanding city-level public health and behavioral health services, including a Behavioral Health Crisis Response Program, mobile mental-health EMS units, and harm-reduction supports. He has supported policies to protect access to reproductive care and to create mental-health crisis hotlines that route some responses away from police. His budget actions and campaign responses emphasize investing in mental-health, substance-use, and public-health response capacity rather than market-based reductions in services.
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Immigration & Border
The candidate supports local protections for immigrants: he issued executive orders prohibiting federal civil immigration enforcement on city-owned property and reaffirmed that city police will not proactively assist ICE, while declining to formally label Providence a 'sanctuary city.'
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Brett Smiley supports access to abortion and broader reproductive care and has taken steps to protect residents seeking abortion services (including opposing municipal cooperation with out-of-state investigations into people seeking abortion care). He has longstanding involvement with Planned Parenthood and has described support for "a woman’s right to full reproductive care, including abortion services."
Climate & Energy
Brett Smiley supports municipal and citywide climate action that advances renewable energy, energy efficiency, and emissions reductions, including a goal for city-owned buildings to be carbon neutral and programs to expand renewable electricity for residents. His administration has proposed a Green Revolving Fund and launched a Community Electricity (PCE) program to increase renewable energy while investing in green infrastructure and resilience projects.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports gun-safety measures while acknowledging personal firearm ownership; has backed the state ban on assault-style weapons and bans on high-capacity magazines and has promoted public-safety initiatives that strengthen local law enforcement capacity.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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