Maria Rivera to be sworn in as first female, Latina mayor of Central Falls

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WLNE) – Maria Rivera will be making history when she is sworn in as the first female and Latina mayor of Central Falls.

ABC 6 News spoke with Rivera after she received more than 75 percent of the vote on Wednesday.

“All along, [supporters have] been like, ‘you’re going to be the first female mayor, you’re going to be the first Latina mayor,’ and my focus has been on what we need to do for the city,” Rivera said.

According to Rivera, one of her top priorities is helping businesses that are suffering with the pandemic.

“I will start working this week in trying to figure out how to bring more funding into our businesses, having meetings and just creating a plan, so that we can do more of a one-on-one outreach to our businesses,” Rivera said.

Rivera told ABC 6 News she was embracing her role not just as mayor-elect, but also as a role model for other people, including younger generations in the city.

“It’s important for women like myself to do this type of work. It’s important to empower other women and women of color to know that there’s a possibility that you can do this,” Rivera said.

Rivera will be sworn in either in-person or virtually on Jan. 4.