former mayor - convicted of corruption - running again!

[LoveTrains]

Well this is an interesting turn of events for local politics in the capital city of little Rhody.


www.providencejournal.com/politics/content/20140625-seven-years-out-of-prison-cianci-enters-providence-mayor-s-race.ece


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — He's in.

Former mayor and current radio talk show host Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci today announced today he is a candidate for a third chapter as mayor, a job he held for 21 years over two separate administrations.

His announcement -- ending weeks of speculation -- came just over seven years after he left federal prison in New Jersey where he spent some five years after being convicted by a federal jury in 2002 of racketeering in the Plunder Dome investigation.


Technically, his filing with the city Board of Canvassers of his declaration of candidacy isn't the final word. He and the seven other candidates who have declared for mayor still have to submit nomination petitions signed by at least 500 registered city voters by July 11 in order to appear on the ballot.

For the past few weeks on his afternoon show on WPRO-AM, Cianci,73, had been swinging one way and then the other on the question of running. Some days he would hold forth on what he saw as lost development opportunities along the city waterfront, the economies that were possible by regionalizing municipal services and a general lack of spirit in the city.

On Monday, for instance, he was roused by an opinion column in the Providence Journal by announced Democratic mayoral candidate Lorne Adrain. He said the debate over whether Cianci would run was a "distraction" at a time when residents should be focusing on "moving the city forward.


"Will we finally erase the cloud of corruption that hangs over our city? Will we abandon the old boys network that's dominated our city for too long ?" he wrote


Cianci claimed on his radio program that his time as mayor saw significant improvements in the city and if his past was to be erased, he said it would also have to take away things like the Providence Place mall, the Providence Performing Arts Center and Trinity Rep, which he claimed to have helped with tax agreements during his administration.

He also said dismissed suggestions that he'd be unable to match the other already announced candidates' campaign organizations and donor bases. He said he'd been approached by more than enough people to put together an effective campaign operation quickly.

"If I decide to go, believe me, they're there," he said Tuesday.

But on other days, and sometimes in the same show, he would switch direction and point out the financial and familial sacrifices as well as the workload the mayor’s job demanded. He also said the voter demographics of the city had changed since he last ran, "times are different."


Cianci has held the office twice, for a total of 21 years. The first run was 11 years from 1975 to 1984. He had to resign after pleading no contest to assault and receiving a five-year suspended sentence.

He made a comeback in the 1990 election, and was in office until 2002, again having to step down because of a criminal conviction.

The days running up to his 1990 decision were a lot like this year’s; he held forth on the radio without giving a definitive answer until a supporter filed his declaration for him 17 minutes before the deadline.

His pattern has been to win close initial elections, in 1974 he topped Joseph A. Doorley by 709 votes as a Republican and in 1990 he won by 317 votes in a three-way race as an independent. But he followed up both those narrow wins with long reelections streaks that were both ended by criminal charges.


Ten people filed declarations as candidate for mayor:

Four of the five people who had earlier announced their intentions to run as Democrats -- City Council President Michael Solomon, Jorge Elorza, Christopher Young and Brett Smiley followed through with that party designation. But Lorne Adrain, who had also announced earlier that he would run as a Democrat, declared as an independent.

With that, there are now three declared independent candidates, including Cianci and Jeffrey Edward Lemire.



The Democratic field also includes Reinaldo Catone and Dominque Gregoire, bringing that party total to six.

Republican Daniel Harrop also filed his declaration of candidacy.

ETA: I edited the title because I originally said convicted twice. It was only once -I guess the first time he resigned after pleading no contest. 

[LoveTrains]

If I find one I will send it to you. Also I meant to post this on CEP. Whoops.

[niq]

@sfgal530 I thought he was from somewhere else? You can PM me the details if he want.

And RI politics are a mess. But they might as well be an entertaining mess. Free Buddy!

[LoveTrains]

Jun 25, 2014 19:23:21 GMT -5 niq said:

@sfgal530 I thought he was from somewhere else? You can PM me the details if he want.

And RI politics are a mess. But they might as well be an entertaining mess. Free Buddy!

We have a lot going on right now - 10 candidates for mayor, five for governor, and a whole host of people campaigning for the statehouse seat in my district formerly occupied by the speaker of the house whose offices were raided by the FBI in March.

I bet Free Buddy shirts make a come back.

[kimibrighteyes]

[LoveTrains]

I found the link for them on zazzle!!!

www.zazzle.com/free_buddy_shirt-235445343860922002

There you go @sfgal530.

kimibrighteyes, you will appreciate that the news was interviewing Buddy last night while he was outside of Al Forno.

[kdubs923]

Jun 25, 2014 22:45:27 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Jun 25, 2014 19:23:21 GMT -5 niq said:

@sfgal530 I thought he was from somewhere else? You can PM me the details if he want.

And RI politics are a mess. But they might as well be an entertaining mess. Free Buddy!

We have a lot going on right now - 10 candidates for mayor, five for governor, and a whole host of people campaigning for the statehouse seat in my district formerly occupied by the speaker of the house whose offices were raided by the FBI in March.

I bet Free Buddy shirts make a come back.

I'm already SO sick of all the governor ads on tv. I watch maybe 20 minutes of TV in the morning while I'm getting ready, and half of the commercials are all VOTE FOR ME!

[LoveTrains]

If I see that little kid on the bicycle one more time....annoying!!!