Buddy Cianci delivers his safety proposals in Billy Taylor Park. Photo by Kim Kalunian
By Sam Wroblewski, reporting my Kim Kalunian WPRO News
Standing in Billy Taylor Park Friday, candidate for Mayor Buddy Cianci unveiled his new public safety plan to improve Providence’s police department.
“The underinvestment simply cannot be allowed to continue, and it won’t be if I am elected Mayor,” said Cianci, “I will hire more police, more importantly I will use new policing strategies; we need more police yes, and we need to use our police better, that’s the key.”
Cianci also promised to audit the city budget to find waste fraud and abuse.
“I’ve done it before and bought the t-shirt, there is waste, fraud and abuse in city government. The savings we achieve will be directed to police as first priority.”
Just prior to rolling out his public safety proposal, Buddy Cianci was criticized by Democrat opponent Jorge ELorza for his record managing the Capital City’s police.
In the statement, the Elorza campaign says during Cianci’s final six years as Mayor, violent crimes were on the rise while there were “declines in other cities in the Northeast.”
Cianci refuted the claim saying during his administration Providence was ranked one of the safest cities All Cities Almanac, which a recent Politicfact by the Providence Journal ranked a “True.”
“That was many years ago, different times, different economy, changing city,” said Cianci.
The Elorza statement also commented on the Providence Police testing scandal in which certain officers cheated on their exams, however Cianci did not comment.
When asked to respond to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse saying Cianci would be counterproductive next step for Providence, Cianci responded, “He’s got a right to his opinion, he’s a United States Senator, but unfortunately for him he doesn’t live in Providence.”
