“That’s not a high percentage.”Ĭoupled with the corruption sweep at city hall, Cianci’s felony conviction and ignominious exit from office only added to a curious mix of pride and self-loathing among Rhode Islanders-and a perception outside the state that Rhode Island’s eccentricities are not always endearing or amusing. “There were about 4,200 (city employees) who worked in Providence every day and only 15 or 16 were indicted,” he said. Of those, 21 were convicted and 16 went to jail.īut Cianci remains unimpressed by those figures. Cianci was never charged with corruption, but 30 members of his administration were indicted on charges that included extortion, larceny and conspiracy. “They said that about li’l ol’ me.”Ĭianci’s 1984 departure from office came in the midst of a major corruption probe of city officials. The Providence Journal-Bulletin, Cianci’s longtime adversary, dubbed his victory, “The greatest political comeback in American urban politics,” Cianci said. Said Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union: “Rhode Island politics is everybody’s favorite spectator sport.” ![]() Victoria Lederberg, a former Rhode Island state senator, said Cianci’s re-emergence as mayor “affirms my suspicion that the public really is interested in people who are more entertaining than careful and dull.” Lederberg is not alone in her opinion. He called Cianci’s reelection a situation to which “people who live in sane places have a little problem relating.” Nicholas Easton, president of the Providence City Council and a Cianci critic, had a slightly different view. “I don’t know if I’d call it a mandate,” Cianci said after Sorrentino’s radio show. ![]() A public extravaganza later that day celebrated Cianci’s win by 317 votes in a three-way contest. 7 of this year, Cianci proved them right when he took the oath of office as mayor in a private ceremony in his home. Driven from office-literally-in a black city limousine in April, 1984, Cianci was mobbed by supporters who cheered, “You’ll be back! You’ll be back!” Apparently confident that they were correct, Cianci grinned and flashed a victory sign.
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