PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Fresh off his second-place finish in the Democratic primary for mayor of Providence, community advocate Kobi Dennis has agreed to serve as an honorary co-chair of independent Dianne “Dee Dee” Witman’s campaign against incumbent Mayor Jorge Elorza.

Witman announced Monday Dennis and businessman Kenneth Dulgarian will co-chair the campaign. She also said Robert DeRobbio, who finished third in the Democratic primary earlier this month, has endorsed her for mayor.

“The Witman for Mayor campaign looks forward to working with Kobi, Bob, and Ken to build a #BetterProvidence,” the campaign said in a statement.

Elorza earned 57% of the vote against Dennis (23%) and DeRobbio (19%) in the Democratic primary, but the endorsements from his two challengers give Witman a credibility boost in neighborhoods off the East Side. Dennis, for example, beat Elorza at the Chad Brown housing complex. DeRobbio’s campaign showed organizational strength by collecting nearly 40% of the city’s mail ballot votes.

Dulgarian, who owns the Avon Cinema, has been a vocal critic of the Elorza administration. In 2016, he wrote an op-ed for The Providence Journal chastising the mayor’s “reluctant approach to ridding Downtown Providence of the dangerous urban corruption caused by panhandlers, vagrants, the mentally sick and drug dealers.”

Witman, a longtime political fundraiser who has worked for both Democrats and Republicans, has pledged to pour $500,000 of her own money into her campaign against Elorza, who had $684,000 in his campaign account as of Sept. 4. She has promised to rid the city of speed cameras, reduce parking meters and improve the city’s schools.

Continue the discussion on Facebook

Dan McGowan (dmcgowan@wpri.com) covers politics and the city of Providence for WPRI.com. Follow him on Twitter: @danmcgowan