Bartholomewtown is an independent news and interview podcast exploring Rhode Island through conversations with the people driving politics, culture, business, and public life. Hosted by journalist Bill Bartholomew, the show delivers insightful interviews, original reporting, and clear-eyed analysis from New England's smallest state—with stories that often resonate far beyond it.
Annajane Yolken on Ward 13, rent stabilization, and the future of Providence
Bill Bartholomew speaks with Annajane Yolken, a Democratic primary candidate for Providence City Council Ward 13, about why she entered the race and what she hears at the doors. Yolken explains how her work in social services and overdose prevention shaped her view of Providence's affordability crisis and why she sees city council as a place to turn policy into action.They also get into the biggest issues facing the ward and the city, including rent stabilization, housing development, Providence's creative identity, and the divestment vote. Yolken argues that the election is a turning point for the city's direction.
Key topics
Why Yolken entered the race
She says her work in social services and overdose prevention gave her a direct view of the city's affordability crisis.
She points to her role in helping pass and implement the first in the nation authorization of an overdose prevention center as proof that local government can make meaningful change.
Her background in public health and policy
Yolken works at Project Weber Renew, which serves people experiencing homelessness and people who use drugs.
She says the organization serves about 7,000 unique individuals in Rhode Island through two drop in centers.
She previously worked at the State House on criminal justice reform and overdose policy.
What Ward 13 residents are most worried about
The biggest issue she hears is cost of living, especially rent.
She says the ward is mostly renters, and many neighbors are worried about being priced out of Providence entirely.
Support for rent stabilization
Yolken says she supports rent stabilization and would vote yes on the ordinance as passed.
She also says the policy needs to be handled thoughtfully.
She adds that her opponent, Connor Blier, testified against rent stabilization publicly.
Development and affordability
She supports streamlining bureaucratic city processes for housing development.
In her view, delays add costs that eventually get passed on to tenants.
Pushback on being labeled an outsider
Yolken says she has lived in Providence for 19 years and in the ward for 12 years.
She calls attacks on her local roots a distraction from the real issues.
She says voters care more about affordability, schools, and sidewalks than where someone went to college.
Providence's political direction
Yolken says she agrees that Providence is at a critical juncture.
She recalls that when she moved to Ward 13, rents were under $300 and the area had a strong artist community.
She argues the city has lost some of that creative energy because people can no longer afford to stay.
The divestment vote and symbolic city action
Yolken says she will vote yes on the divestment measure.
As a Jewish resident, she says she feels an obligation to speak critically about Israel's actions against Palestinians.
She also says symbolic acts, like raising the Palestinian flag at City Hall, matter because they can spark important public conversation.
Supporting artists and the creative capital identity
She says the city should do more to platform local artists and connect arts policy to the people actually creating art on the ground.
She specifically mentions the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism and Ward 13's Valley Arts District.
She wants development to preserve affordable space for artists and community use.
Her closing pitch
Yolken says her career has been about helping people through difficult moments.
She wants to bring care and compassion to City Hall.
She invites residents to reach out and get involved in the race.
Timestamps
00:00 - Why Annajane Yolken entered the Ward 13 race 01:26 - Her work at Project Weber Renew and overdose policy background 02:31 - Ward 13 voters' top concern: rent and cost of living 03:32 - Streamlining housing development to reduce costs 04:48 - Aligning with David Morales on Providence's direction 06:05 - Responding to claims that she's not a local 07:35 - Why she sees the "outsider" attack as a distraction 08:44 - Her support for rent stabilization and where Connor Blier stood 10:58 - Providence's loss of affordability and creative identity 13:54 - Why this election could decide the city's future direction 15:50 - Her support for the divestment measure and Palestinian flag symbolism 18:41 - How City Hall should support artists and the creative economy 20:45 - Final pitch: care, compassion, and community leadership
We continue to zoom in on the Ward 13 Providence City Council race earlier this week. You heard from Connor Blier, who is one of the candidates on that race. Anna Jean Yolkin is another who will be on the ballot in the Democratic primary for Ward 13 residents. Anna Jean, why did you get into this race?
Annajane Yolken
Yeah, thank you so much, Bill, for having me. So I work in social services and particularly in overdose prevention. And through that work, I've really had a front row seat to our city's affordability crisis. I've also helped pass and implement laws that I've really seen save lives in our city, including the first in the nation authorization of an overdose prevention center. So through that work, I really saw that we can do big things at the local level, not only in Rhode Island and not only in Providence, but really in our neighborhood in Ward 13. And I've helped make some of those things happen. And so I had been thinking for a little bit about how now that I've done from policy to implementation, wanting to bring that back to policy work. And yeah, I think a city council role is a really amazing way to do that, to not only work on policy to impact, positively impact Ward 13 and our city, but also to take care of our neighborhood and represent it. And so that's what brings me to this race.
Bill Bartholomew
I want to get into the specifics on, you know, as much as we can on policy within the context of a podcast, but on pot on policy and also politics here. But just a little bit more in your background for anybody who doesn't know it.
Annajane Yolken
Absolutely. So I work at a nonprofit organization called Project Weber Renew. Um, we are an organization that mostly works with folks experiencing homelessness, people who use drugs. We serve about 7,000 unique individuals in Rhode Island, and we have two drop-in centers providing a range of services, basic needs, showers, laundry, medical services, a lot of really important things. Before that, I had done work at the State House advocating for policies at the intersection of criminal justice reform and public health approaches to the overdose epidemic, and really was saw there through that work that there was a lot of opportunity to make change, a lot of lawmakers who saw that they wanted to do something about the overdose crisis and were willing to learn. And so we collaborated on several different pieces of policy as well.
Bill Bartholomew
All right. So what are you hearing when you're out of the doors or when you're, you know, just getting any kind of feedback about what do people want that that you're going to be able to deliver on if you were elected to the city council?
Annajane Yolken
Absolutely. So the number one concern that I hear is around cost of living. And in a place like Ward 13, where the majority of people are renters, for a lot of people, that is the cost of rent. And I think that there are many things we need to do for a housing crisis. We need to build more housing, we need to streamline processes. I also think we need to pass rent stabilization because the way rents have gone up is wild. It's unaffordable. And so many neighbors I've talked to are worried about having to move out of the neighborhood or honestly having to move out of Providence. So I am for proposing rent stabilization. I recognize it is an important and big piece of legislation, one that needs to be doing done thoughtfully. And that's something I committed to doing.
Bill Bartholomew
Beyond rent stabilization, what else can the city council do? What would you do, I should say, as a city council, or try to move forward as a city councilor that you're hearing on and that maybe you even know are impacting the affordability crisis in the city, specifically in the city?
Annajane Yolken
Yeah, absolutely. So this is less in the realm of council. However, I am supportive of measures that streamline different city processes for people who are trying to develop properties. I've heard from so many people where the processes are incredibly bureaucratic. It can take years for something to get built when something is an empty lot that is just uh money that is accumulating, costs that are rising, that then ultimately get um put on the people who end up renting there. So anything we can be doing to streamline those processes is something I'm also in favor of.
Bill Bartholomew
Okay. So let's talk about like policy from just a general standpoint right now. Let me ask you this. When you look at the city, the complexion of Providence City politics right now, like you're you're from an endorsement, a fellow endorsement standpoint, a fellowship of endorsement standpoint, from sort of a branding standpoint, and from I think just from a policy standpoint, I think it's fair to say you would be more aligned with maybe the David Morales side of Providence politics than the Brett Smiley side. That's the most basic level, elementary level of evaluating things, but this is an election where a lot of people aren't paying attention until maybe they hear this podcast. Is that fair to say?
Annajane Yolken
Um, I guess I have been endorsed by David Morales for mayor. I think that we have a similar vision for making sure that Providence is a place that's welcoming, safe, and affordable for everyone.
Bill Bartholomew
Okay. When you look at this race right now, we had Mr. Blier on the show earlier this week. And and frankly, I'm not sh I'm still not quite sure I understand the gist of his argument. One of the reasons when I asked him why he was running, he said it was because there was corruption in the cannabis uh um license distribution that he was somehow caught up in, um, and that that exposed corruption. And and and look, the framework, after tr after distilling through it, the framework really is he's making the argument, look, I grew up in the neighborhood, I've tried to start a business, um, state bureaucracy got in the way, he says it's corruption, this, that, and the other, whatever. It's not corrupt. It's probably just frustration in the realm of business at the end of the day, unless you can prove otherwise. But he's making that case. I'm out here trying to do something, I couldn't figure it out, uh, or it didn't work out for me, and I'm on the ground at the worker level. And the charge is that you are imported from, you know, the uh the brown university circuit, whatever that may be. Again, that's not my creation of a notion. This is sort of the political reality on the ground right now. How do you respond to that?
Annajane Yolken
I've lived in Providence for 19 years and I've lived in the Ward for 12 years. I've lived my whole adult life here. Um, I couldn't choose where I was born. I was born in Baltimore, and I've really chosen to make this my home. I have invested so much in our community. I've been involved in so many different causes. I've met so many amazing people here. And I think so many people in Ward 13 grew up in different uh cities or states or countries, and that's something I love. And um, yeah, I think the most important thing is that we're committed to our community.
Bill Bartholomew
You've lived in Providence for 19 years. Yes. So you you you're running against a guy who says you that the that you're not representative of of the locals. Where do you think that comes from? Is that what is that w you know that I didn't know I knew you were local. I mean, just just I I know you through your work on the ground. Like I so I knew you weren't imported like last week, you know. Um not the Victor Meller of you know Providence politics or whatever, but you've lived in the ground, you've lived in the city for 19 years. Yes. W what what what is this about? But this is this is such an odd lane to be transgressing it. Is what is that about? Do you understand what that's about when when your opponent sling is is making that claim? I I frankly do not understand how that could possibly be the case if you've lived in the city for 19 years, how that's even a discussion. If you've lived in the city for, you know, five years, it's not a discussion. What's your reaction to that?
Annajane Yolken
I don't, I can't say I fully understand where it comes from. I do feel like it's a bit of a desperate attempt. Um and I think it's a distraction from a lot of the things that people really do care about. When I knock on someone's door, they are not asking me. Well, sometimes they do ask me how long I've lived in Providence or how long I've lived in the ward. And when I say 12 years, you know, they say, okay. Um, but I think it's really a distraction from the issues that are at hand, which are issues of our affordability crisis or return of our public schools back to local control, of the condition of our sidewalk. So many things that people do care about. And I've found that those are the things people care about, not whether or not I graduated from Brown University 15 years ago, or if I've only lived my whole adult life in Providence rather than my whole whole life.
Bill Bartholomew
All right. That's that's that's just an odd detour in a in a race that is important. So this thing, it's an important race. The issue, one of the big issues, if not the issue, that defines politics in this market, if you will, right? Is the Providence rent stabilization situation. That's one of the big stories. Is it the biggest story? No, it's not the biggest story. There still are larger scale stories happening. And then there are scenarios that are happening as well, ongoing scenarios, crises that are constant, right? Chronic problems were that are trying to be solved. But the rent stabilization, you know, he he also did not give a clear answer on whether or not he would support it. He said he would if there were certain carve-outs. Let's put it on the record. As currently constituted, the rent stabilization ordinance that was passed, if you were uh on the council and let's say you were in that War 13th seat and the presidency was in someone's hands who were stewarding that policy the same way that President Miller did, you'd vote yes on it, right?
Annajane Yolken
Yes, I would vote yes for it, and I would be a strong voice and leader on rent stabilization. I will also say that my opponent Connor testified against it publicly as well.
unknown
Okay.
Bill Bartholomew
Didn't know that. You know, trying to dig into a council race, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you I'm an expert on the province city council race here. And that's I I did not know that. You know, and that's that's the that's uh that's something I wish I knew going into both interviews. I didn't know that. Um it also shows how like it also shows I think that there's a gap. Maybe I'm sure that has been reported out, but it's just this is an important race. You know what I mean? This is a really important race that should have a lot of people's attention, in my opinion. So and I'm trying to pay attention to it, so so I'm trying to get the information out as accurately as possible here. But all right, let's talk about broadly speaking, right now, from very abstract here, okay? The direction that the city of Providence is going right now. It's pretty clear to me as a resident of the city that we're in a moment right now that we're we're kind of not sure. We could be a micro biotech health science space, you know, maybe, maybe we could ramp things up in, you know, uh the the the broader meds and eds, maybe the blue economy is gonna spill and whatever, but it feels like we don't have a direction that we're all moving in in in one way, shape, or form moving in the same direction. It feels like a lot of opposition players. Do you share that sentiment? And if so, how do you turn it around?
Annajane Yolken
I do share that sentiment. I think about when I moved to Ward 13 12 years ago, when my rent was less than $300 a month. How many people I knew and how many people I was in community with who were artists, right? Because they could afford to live there and they could um, yeah, they could, they could make their living, they could pay rent, they could do art, and they could have some part-time or gig work. And that is obviously not the case now. And I think at that time, I felt like we had this vision of Provence as the creative capital, right? We had um, there was so much going on, and it was really amazing to be part of. It felt like really being part of a community. That wasn't the only thing that was going on, but it felt very strong and very vibrant. And I feel like we've really lost that. And I feel like that's really sad. Um, and so I think how we how we think about our path forward, again, not to not to only harp on one topic, but I do think it comes back to affordability and who can actually afford to continue to live in our city and what that looks like. So it's not only people who are in tech or people who are in certain places or certain sectors where they can't afford to pay $2,500 a month in rent.
Bill Bartholomew
Yeah. It feels like a moment where it does maybe, maybe it is the transition point and we're in it right now. It almost feels like a moment like we're still in the days in between type of thing, where at some point people are just gonna look around and say, oh yeah, Providence did change. And it became, you know, kind of an exo Boston outpost. It became, it became something different. It'll always have the university edge. There'll always be community here. And when you bring in certain economic development components that can, uh, in the private sector, that can in either through guilt tripping or through actual philanthropy or through decree in the case of you know some of the nonprofits, it can translate into dollars coming into the city. So it's not like it's not like it's an unsustainable model. It's just it may be, maybe it's more sustainable. That argument could be made too. Hey, it's better just let capitalism take a business take over, let provident people are gonna live here that want to go to, they can't afford to live in Boston, it's gonna be Boston Jr. Um, you know, doesn't matter if a burrito is 21 bucks, doesn't matter if an apartment's 2,500 bucks, doesn't matter if there's no public transit we're gonna rip, whatever it is. Uh that model may be out there. And some people are, I feel like the city's moving that way. Sometimes I feel like it's a lost cause. Like sometimes I feel like the right thing to do is to not be in Providence because it's swimming against the tide, and we've seen this movie play out all over the United States in recent times in other cities. So are we in this last gasp moment? Is this how urgent is this moment? Is this moment as urgent as I feel it is that the city needs to define itself and act on that and set a 20-year plan in motion? Otherwise, unless you're in tech or already own your home and can afford tax increases, don't plan to be here.
Annajane Yolken
I agree with you, Bill. I think about a conversation I had with a person who lives in Ward 13. They bought a home, they're artists, they bought a home maybe it was seven years ago before COVID. And they said that they have survivor's guilt because they were able to do this and they're watching all their friends get priced out. And I think that with this election, we're really at that critical juncture when we're talking about these council races, when we're talking about the mayor's race. And I think that's why there's so much at stake in this election, because I think it can really determine what direction we go in as a city.
Bill Bartholomew
There's no foreign affairs element to Providence City Call City Hall, either in the mayor's office or in the council's office, save for the fact that there actually are. There are, you can make the argument that obviously uh investment and divestment or just general making a choice to not get maybe not divesting, but actually just not investing proactively in certain uh certain things for certain returns uh in terms of any portfolio, pension or otherwise, uh, that's one way to look at it. There's also the ceremonial component of it, and then there's the community buy-in component of it. You know, Providence is a is a community of uh of many nations, um, you know, so that means that it's an international place. And so there is an international relations component, fine, but you're not setting policy on an international scale. And yet we've seen um the raising of the Palestinian flag on City Hall, and separately there's now a divestment proposal in front of uh voters. Yeah. What's your take on the role that the city council should play in each of those spaces there? Both policy that the that the council, I'm sorry, not policy, but actions that the council takes, maybe raising a flag, holding an event, taking a formal position uh on a foreign affairs matter, and also support for measures such as the divest from Israel measure that's in front of voters in Providence.
Annajane Yolken
Absolutely. So I will be voting yes on the divestment measure. Um, I am someone who is Jewish and also someone who is incredibly critical of the actions that Israel is taking against the Palestinian people. So it feels important for me to use my voice as someone who's Jewish to really highlight that. And also, it is a measure that is going directly to the voters. It is not going through city council. It is the first time that they have been able to put anything on the ballot through popular measure. It's a huge bar because of how many signatures. And I think the fact that they raised over 10,000 signatures is a real indicator of how much support it has. So, you know, ultimately, again, that won't be a city council measure. Um, and also I do think that there's a role for public officials to raise attention to different issues. I remember when the Palestinian flag was raised in front of City Hall, and I felt really proud to be a, you know, a resident of Providence that we were taking a stand. Yes, you could say it's just symbolic, but I think that symbolism is important and it raised a lot of conversations, right? And so, yes, uh, you know, we will not control foreign affairs from City Hall and Providence. And also I think it's uh important to be talking about as well.
Bill Bartholomew
Yeah. I'm sitting right now in my loft in South Providence, and look, I'm fortunate to have this space. Have means rent. I've seen a near 65% rent increase since I moved in here um less than a decade ago, you know. So I get it, but I also consider myself fortunate that I'm able to practice as an an artist and a journalist and and someone in the, I guess you would call you know, the the non-academic liberal and fine arts space, right? But it's becoming more and more clear to me that while there's priorities around creativity and there's priorities even around economic development and creativity and providence, it doesn't feel like it's necessarily directly connected to um the artists on the ground. That's a field test thing. I know the mayor's aware of this. I know that he admitted that after the first PvD fest that he oversaw there were major problems, and I think he understood that the problem basically was that the community wasn't the community's best interests weren't weren't necessarily being reflected from the standpoint of the creative community. But it's more than PvD fests, right? It's about what are we gonna do to make provenance? I know affordability, but what other ideas do you have that could elevate the role that the artistic and creative sector plays? And I'm talking about outside of the academics and the nonprofits, the individual artists like your friends that you described. How do we raise them up more?
Annajane Yolken
Yeah, I think platforming, having the city platform art and artists is incredibly important. I know that's not the only way to do it. I think that there's a lot of art that needs to happen outside of platforming by city officials, and that's great. Um, so I think continuing, but I think continuing to do that, and I think continuing to have that be part of our vision for what the city looks like and make sure that's continuing to be part of conversations. Again, yes, there's a role for city hall in terms of things like the um Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, making sure that that's being invested in and that that work feels connected to, like you're saying, Bill, to the artists on the ground who are actually doing the work.
Bill Bartholomew
Yeah. I think that's the message that just needs to resonate throughout the city. If we're going to do the creative capital thing, yeah, it has to be, it has to intersect with the institutions for sure. The institutions are a vital part of that recipe. But what feeds it is happening on the ground, uh, maybe not as prolifically as it did in the era of Fort Thunder or something or or, you know, the West End or whatever it may be in in recent decades. But um, we have the capacity to get it going. And it's like one of our s strongest resources. And it's not just a, hey, this is fun thing. It's a, this is like identity, culture, third spaces, economic development. And by the way, you're telling people all over the place with the creative capital, let's live up to it. So that's my take on that.
Annajane Yolken
And I think just one thing to add, Ward 13 includes the Valley Arts District. So I think that when thinking hyper-locally, I think just making sure that that space has a vision, it has um spaces where artists can practice that can continue to be affordable, where community can come together. And there is that. But I think making sure that as people are looking at things like development that's done with making sure that the art and the artists are centered in that process.
Bill Bartholomew
All right. Last uh couple of seconds here. What's your final pitch? Well, this is not your final pitch, but your pitch, final pitch on this particular podcast to anybody out there that is in your ward that hasn't voted yet, or is outside of your ward and how they can sort of get involved in this race if they want to.
Annajane Yolken
Absolutely. So through my career, I've worked with people during some of the toughest moments of their lives. And I found that when we come together with care and compassion for each other, that's really when our community is strongest. So that's the spirit I want to bring to City Hall to represent our neighborhood. Um, and yeah, I'd love to talk with anyone. I've loved meeting people through this process, seeing peop how many people care about our neighborhood. So please feel free to reach out.
Bill Bartholomew
Anna Jane Yolkin, War 13 Providence City Council, Democratic primary candidate coming up. Hey, early voting is underway. And uh there's a lot of different ways to vote. You know how to do it at this point if you're listening to this show.
.jpeg)
