By Sam Wroblewski, Reporting by Kim Kalunian, WPRO News

Independent candidate for Providence Mayor, Buddy Cianci, says the individuals behind an anti-Cianci Super PAC are hypocrites for conspiring in secret to undermine his campaign.

GoLocalProv reported late Thursday night that several individuals, including former candidate for Mayor Lorne Adrain and three-time candidate for Governor Myrth York, are attempting to raise money to try and stop Cianci.

“And now look at them, they’re all conspiring to put their hundreds of thousands of dollars together to not talk about issues, not come up with proposals to improve economic development, not to talk how we can solve the under-performing school problem in the city, they want to raise to stop one candidate,” Cianci told WPRO News Friday.

Cianci called the group membership hypocritical for operating secretly and said he doesn’t believe their plan will work.

“I think it will backfire against them, that’s what I think because they should be talking about constructive things not destructive things,” he said. “It’s amazing the amount of phone calls our headquarters of people who said they weren’t going to vote for me who now say they will vote for me.”

Cianci said the group’s goal of raising $1 million and recruiting the state’s congressional delegation is an example of the lack of local leadership in the state.

Cianci faces Democrat Jorge Elorza and Republican Dr. Dan Harrop in November.