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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — An election that few residents of a Rhode Island city knew about has decided who controls a fund that traces back to an early 19th-century philanthropist.
WPRI-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2ff4t2E ) 238 of Providence's 180,000 residents cast ballots Thursday during the brief election at City Hall. Many city employees voted.
The Dexter Donation Trust Fund holds $2.2 million and distributes a portion of the money each year to nonprofit organizations. It's named after Ebenezer Knight Dexter, a businessman who died in 1824.
Dexter's will turned his Providence farm into an almshouse for the poor. Proceeds from selling the property to Brown University in the 1950s created the trust fund, which is run by an elected board.
A slate of candidates endorsed by Democratic Mayor Jorge Elorza (HOR'-hay ay-LOR'-sah) beat two other factions to win board seats.
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