Vincent Cianci, Jr
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Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. (born April 30, 1941 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island) served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1974-1984 and again from 1991-2002.
Political Career
Cianci was a well known prosecutor in the State of Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General prior to becoming mayor of Providence. He was first elected mayor of Providence in 1974. Cianci was well known as an extremely charismatic and media-savvy politician. His propensity to attend parades, weddings and public events led to a common joke during his tenure as mayor that Cianci would jump to attend the opening of an envelope. Cianci was revered by the residents of Providence and credited with the revitalizing the city's economy and image. To call the nickname "Buddy" a nickname is not truly accurate. To the people of Providence, Mayor Cianci simply was Buddy. His given name is rarely used in practice and the name Buddy is always included even when his full name is used.
Cianci resigned from office the for first time in 1984 after being convicted of assaulting a man with a lit cigarette, an ashtray and a fireplace log. Cianci claimed that the man had been having an affair with his wife. Cianci spent the next few years as a popular radio talk show host and television commentator. In 1991 he succesfully mounted a re-election campaign using the slogan "He never stopped caring about Providence".
Operation Plunder Dome
Cianci was indicted in April 2001 on federal criminal charges of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering, and mail fraud. Several other Providence city officials were also indicted. Rather than maintaining a low profile after the indictment, Cianci went out of his way to poke fun at the investigation, code-named "Operation Plunder Dome." After being convicted of a single count of conspiracy, Cianci was sentenced to serve five years in federal prison. After some legal wrangling, Cianci's lawyers managed to have Cianci sent to prison closer to Rhode Island, and Cianci is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey. He is scheduled to be released in December of 2007.
Cianci Facts
- Cianci was known to be a friend of President Gerald Ford.
- Television Animator/Producer Seth MacFarlane parodied Cianci in the now Fox Television series Family Guy by naming a fictional school after him.
- The book The Prince of Providence by Mike Stanton details his life, from childhood, to mob-busting prosecutor, to mayor, to conviction.
- Cianci, though a political independent by the time of his indictment, was a former Republican and his unpopularity after his trial touched the Republicans as well, helping to sweep the openly homosexual Democratic candidate for Mayor, David Cicilline, into office in a landslide in 2002.
- Cianci was a guest a number of times on the popular radio show hosted by Don Imus where he occasinally upstaged his host.
- His self-promotion included guest appearances as himself on the television show Providence and on his own line of Mayor's Own Marinara Sauce which featured his picture prominently on the label.