PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- The process to formally open up the race for a major seat on the Providence City Council got underway on Thursday night.

The now 14-member panel formally accepted a resignation letter from Ward 2 City Councilwoman Helen Anthony at the first meeting back from the council's annual August break.

Anthony announced at the beginning of August that she would be stepping down from her role, effective Sept. 1, to "more fully focus" on her health. She was seriously injured in an ATV accident in June 2023 while on a trip to California.

Councilors formally voted on a resolution to declare the Ward 2 seat vacant on Thursday, and thanked Anthony for her service.

"I’m gonna miss you," Councilman James Taylor said. Taylor and Anthony worked together for seven years on the Fi

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