"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Can Buddy do it again and then are we that stupid and masochistic to be fooled a third time?
I have just read where Buddy Cianci, the independent candidate for mayor of Providence and two time convicted felon, has 38% of the public supporting his candidacy for a third round of fooling the public. I will admit up front that I do not live or vote in Providence, so maybe I should not be critical of the Providence electorate. The voters of Providence certainly have the right to elect their own mayor. The rest of us Rhode Islanders should respect that right. However, when the mayor of Providence engages in actions that harm the welfare of all the citizens of Rhode Island, then I feel we have a right to express our opinion and to advocate for what is in the interest of the whole state.
Buddy, The Prince of Providence, did many things for and to Providence during his tenures as Mayor, but these all followed one rule. That rule was if it was good for Buddy then it must be good for Providence. A corollary to that rule was, if it was good for Providence, then Buddy should be paid first. Corruption, the charge that eventually landed the mayor in prison and forced him out of office for the second time, is a TAX on the people.It is a tax just like the City's official taxes, except that the money goes to one individual who, in turn, buys the votes, loyalty and services of a gang of co-conspirators. The divert funds slip away from the public interest and into the pockets of those who privately benefit from the conspiracy. It means that we pay more for less and lower quality for the public services that our tax dollars were supposed to support. Do we need this again?
I recently had the opportunity to read Mike Stanton's book," The Prince of Providence: The True Story of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor, Some Wiseguys, and the Feds." I was truly surprised by the depth of corruption upon which the Providence Renaissance was build and the price the citizens had and have to pay to correct the problems created.
The Providence Journal as recently conducted a Providence Journal./WPRO political poll which shows Cianci, at this time, 9 - 24 - 2014, leading his opponents with a 38% preference of those polled while the Democratic candidate, Jorge Elorza is polling 32.4% and the Republican,Harrop at 6%. But as the Projo pointed out in an editorial on 9 - 26 - 2014 that name recognition is still a major factor in the results. More significant, I feel, is that 41% felt that Buddy;s corruption conviction would have little or no impact on their view of the candidate.
I would strongly suggest any objective voter in Providence take the time to read Stanton's book to gain an understanding of the Buddy, the man, and Buddy, the MAYOR. If ever there was a case of Breaking Bad this is a classic one. Has anyone ever wondered what happened to Pfizer's plan to locate a major plant at Fields Point? Why and how we, as a State, lost all those jobs and tax revenue that that deal would have produced? How the ego of one local politician to get ahead of the Governor for credit for the deal, scotched it? Read the book!
We don't need to go back to the Buddy future. The world has changed and Rhode Island has changed. Rhode Island needs to go into a NEW future with a new outlook and new image. Providence plays an important role in that effort.
Buddy is filled with ideas, some pipe dreams, some outlandish, and some very sound and practical. Let him use the bully pulpit of his radio show to expound on these. But let's have a new voice, more in tune with the times, and who is willing to work with and for the community take charge of Providence;s future, rather than working for himself and his cronies.
The Providence Journal as recently conducted a Providence Journal./WPRO political poll which shows Cianci, at this time, 9 - 24 - 2014, leading his opponents with a 38% preference of those polled while the Democratic candidate, Jorge Elorza is polling 32.4% and the Republican,Harrop at 6%. But as the Projo pointed out in an editorial on 9 - 26 - 2014 that name recognition is still a major factor in the results. More significant, I feel, is that 41% felt that Buddy;s corruption conviction would have little or no impact on their view of the candidate.
I would strongly suggest any objective voter in Providence take the time to read Stanton's book to gain an understanding of the Buddy, the man, and Buddy, the MAYOR. If ever there was a case of Breaking Bad this is a classic one. Has anyone ever wondered what happened to Pfizer's plan to locate a major plant at Fields Point? Why and how we, as a State, lost all those jobs and tax revenue that that deal would have produced? How the ego of one local politician to get ahead of the Governor for credit for the deal, scotched it? Read the book!
We don't need to go back to the Buddy future. The world has changed and Rhode Island has changed. Rhode Island needs to go into a NEW future with a new outlook and new image. Providence plays an important role in that effort.
Buddy is filled with ideas, some pipe dreams, some outlandish, and some very sound and practical. Let him use the bully pulpit of his radio show to expound on these. But let's have a new voice, more in tune with the times, and who is willing to work with and for the community take charge of Providence;s future, rather than working for himself and his cronies.
