From left to right: Phil West, former head of Common Cause, former US Attorney Robert Corrente, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Photo by Steve Klamkin
WPRO Newsroom
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Attorney Robert Corrente, and former Governor Lincoln Almond – each a former US attorney – held a press conference Tuesday to warn voters against voting for independent Buddy Cianci a third time.
“The Providence Mayoral election raises the alarming prospect of allowing someone who has committed serious felonies while in office, not once but twice, to return to City Hall,” said Robert Corrente.
All three former attorneys took several minutes to recall the corruption at Providence City Hall during the years leading up to the Plunderdome investigation which sent Cianci to federal prison for five years.
“One should not believe that this type of criminal activity is harmless to individual constituents and taxpayers of a city; the bribes that are paid by contractors have to be built into bids and end up coming out of taxpayer’s pockets,” said Whitehouse.
Whitehouse continued saying the risks business owners take when they do not play the game is enough to drive commerce away from the city.
Former Governor Lincoln Almond -who joined the conference via telephone -said there should be no reason why voters should trust Cianci after he was convicted in the Plunderdome case.
“I think if you look at the extent of the corruption and the length of the corruption, I think his promises to be good in the future ring hollow,” said Almond.
Corrente said the press conference was necessary to educate younger voters who were too young to remember what sort candidate Cianci is.
Democrat candidate Jorge Elorza said he agrees with the mission of the press conference.
“It’s important for folks to know the truth, I don’t think it’s the case that everyone knows the history, we assume folks do but things happen two, three years ago it’s like ancient history sometimes,” said Elorza.
Republican Dr. Dan Harrop echoed Elorza’s agreement.
“I really appreciate this; I think this is the word we need to get out to the city. I also appreciate the fact that it is a bipartisan effort with a former Republican governor and a current US Senator,” said Harrop.
Cianci, who said he didn’t hear the conference, but said his critics are part of an exclusive club who don’t live in Providence and want to see him lose.
“That’s about the fact that the candidate they’re backing is losing and they’ll doing anything to take the eye off the ball of vision and experience in this campaign,” said Cianci.
“Tomorrow i expect to see the front page [Providence Journal] say I was a part of the Lindbergh kidnapping.”
