According to his Facebook profile, his interests are the "arts, going to the gym, photography, horseback riding, riding my Harley, cycling." His favorite music: Andrea Bocelli, Bruce Springstein (sic), Coldplay, Michael Buble, Kate Nash and Mika. Like many Facebook users, he has "too many" favorite movies to list. But he isn't just any ordinary Facebook user. He is the mayor of Providence, David Cicilline '83.
The city's 36th mayor, who took office in 2003, decided to create a public Facebook profile in February to "reach out to more people," said Karen Southern, Cicilline's press secretary.
The profile allows Cicilline to connect with young people who are more likely to use the internet for information than television or newspapers, Southern said.
Instead of friends, Cicilline currently has 123 supporters on his profile, some of whom are college students. One supporter appreciated Cicilline's taste in music, writing on his Facebook wall, "The fact that you list Mika in your favorite music just makes the world spin that much smoother."
The profile informs visitors that Cicilline is a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention and president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. It lists Cicilline's educational history at Brown and Georgetown University's law school and his work history as an attorney, an adjunct law professor at Roger Williams University School of Law and a state legislator for four consecutive terms.
Cicilline's profile also has two photo albums. The first, labeled "International," includes Cicilline's pictures with the presidents of Liberia and the Dominican Republic. The second album, called "A Day at Work," displays pictures from his inauguration ceremony last January and of him sitting at his desk and checking his e-mail. It also has more informal pictures - one of a Cicilline family reunion and another of the mayor wearing a bicycle helmet with the caption "Bike to Work Day." The profile also has a video of Cicilline's 2006 campaign advertisement.
In the past, other Rhode Island politicians, like Democratic congressmen Sheldon Whitehouse and James Langevin, have created Facebook profiles to "start building long-term relationships with young voters," said Matt Jerzyk '99, founder of the liberal political blog Rhode Island's Future.
Jerzyk, one of Cicilline's Facebook supporters, said the Web site gives politicians a free medium to organize voters and campaigns.
"You can show people you're cool, you're hip," Jerzyk said.
But having a public profile could also bring negative publicity.
A comment that was previously on Cicilline's profile's discussion board made by a person with the name "Providence Fireman" read, "Why is it that this mayor so hates the firefighters of his city?" The comment refers to the mayor's five-year contract dispute with the city's firefighters union. In September, Cicilline had to resign as Hillary Clinton's statewide presidential campaign co-chairman. He was also asked not to attend her rally at Rhode Island College in February because of a fear of protests by the firefighters, the Providence Journal reported Feb. 22.
But Jerzyk said that politicians' ability to reach out to voters free of cost through Facebook "definitely" outweighs the risk of receiving "disparaging comments."
"The Internet is the new political medium," Jerzyk said. Politicians need it to "stay ahead of the curve."
