M O N D A Y SEPTEMER 9, 2002
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVII, No. 66
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com
CIANCI GETS FIVE YEARS
Charlie Hall
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ernest Torres, above seated, sentenced Mayor Vincent Cianci, above standing, on Friday to 64 months in prison for running a criminal enterprise out of City Hall. Less than an hour later, city officials swore in City Council President John Lombardi as mayor. Mayoral primary elections are scheduled for Tuesday.
Cianci vacates City Hall quarters BY JULIETTE WALLACK
Former Mayor Vincent Cianci’s reign over Providence has arrived at its finale. After comparing Cianci to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and describing him as a mayor who used his power for personal gain, a judge sentenced Cianci to 64 months in prison Friday for running a criminal enterprise out of City Hall. The sentencing follows a three-month trial that resulted in Cianci’s conviction on one federal corruption charge. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ernest Torres suspended Cianci’s sentence for 90 days to give the former mayor a chance to appeal. Less than an hour after Torres announced Cianci’s sentence, city officials swore in City Council President John Lombardi as mayor at City Hall — across Kennedy Plaza from the courtroom where Cianci heard his sentence. The federal prosecutors who indicted Cianci and four of his staff members in April 2001 painted a picture for the jury of an administration that operated city government as a criminal enterprise. Cianci faced 17 federal charges when opening statements in the trial were heard April 24. Torres dropped five charges in June.
A long, troubled career Trouble in Cianci’s administration began long before the FBI’s recent investigation into City Hall, dubbed Operation Plunder Dome. In 1974, then-Republican Cianci was elected mayor by a city that had been led by Democrats for the past 34 years. By 1982, Cianci was popular despite a budget deficit and rising taxes, and he campaigned for re-election as an Independent. Personal troubles plagued his career during the mid-1980s, and in April 1984, Cianci received a five-year suspended sentence after he pleaded no contest to charges that he assaulted his estranged wife’s boyfriend with a fireplace log and a lit cigarette. At the same time the spotlight focused on Cianci’s personal life, a grand jury focused on corruption in the city’s government. On April 25, 1984, Cianci resigned after receiving a suspended sentence. Soon after, the government indicted 30 city employees on corruption-related charges. After a five-year stint as a radio show host, Cianci campaigned for reelection in 1990 as an Independent, and he won by 317 votes. Cianci’s 12-year tenure was marked by rapid development and revitalization in
Cicilline set for Tuesday primary BY JULIETTE WALLACK
With a win in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, mayoral hopeful David Cicilline ’83 could become the first Brown graduate to lead Providence. Cicilline, who announced his candidacy more than six months ago, has the support of 40 percent of respondents in the most recent poll. He faces a challenge from four candidates, including former Mayor Joseph Paolino. Cicilline told The Herald he attributes his success to the city’s readiness for change. “I think the voters are smart and know that the last thing that we need is another politician looking for political opportunities,” Cicilline said. “We need a mayor who has a real commitment, who has the courage to stand up and speak out against what was happening in Providence and has a clear vision about where we’re going to take the city from here.” With his campaign more than six months old, Cicilline said he’s had the opportunity to get his message out into the neighborhoods of Providence. “I’ve had a chance to lay out my plans
More crime alerts sent out this summer than last, signaling safety concerns for new year page 5
see CICILLINE, page 4
see CIANCI, page 6
I N S I D E M O N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 9 , 2 0 0 2 911 + 1 exhibit looks at the Sept. 11 attacks and their effects on American society page 3
for education, for neighborhoods, for economic development,” he said, and he added that other candidates seem to have picked up on his ideas. “That’s politics,” he said. “But, I think it’s clear that I entered the race because of a real commitment I have to the city.” Cicilline said his campaign is different because he represents “real change,” an idea the other three candidates have hit upon but not stressed as heavily, he said. Cicilline said he is the only candidate in the race who has refused to take campaign contributions from city employees, and as mayor, he said, he will not take contributions from city vendors. That, he said, will allow him to “break that link between politics and money and city government.” Now, half of a year into his campaign and independent of whether he wins the primary, Cicilline said he would have started his campaign even earlier, despite the fact that former Mayor Vincent Cianci’s decision to not run for reelection was not yet known. Cianci was convicted in July of racket-
One year after Sept. 11 rush, the blood banks of Rhode Island have again run dry page 5
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Chris Senio ’04 says a baseball players’ union strike would have been good for baseball column,page 11
Amid much spectacle, Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi to win U.S. Open title page 12
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