As Providence begins to battle what Mayor Angel Taveras called a "category five" financial crisis, allegations have emerged that former mayor and current Rep. David Cicilline '83, D-RI, failed to paint an accurate picture of the city's financial health.
Since 2008, Providence's rainy day fund — a reserve for fiscal emergencies — dipped dramatically from a high of $22.36 million to $220,816, according to a March 14 Providence Journal article.
Former Internal Auditor James Lombardi, now the city treasurer, alerted the City Council in October that Cicilline raided the rainy day fund without the council's approval, a violation of the city's charter. At the time, Cicilline denied the charges, saying that $30 million remained in the reserves. Five city council members sided with Cicilline in the dispute.
Immediately after an independent audit commissioned by Taveras confirmed Lombardi's findings, Cicilline refused to take questions from reporters, instead issuing a statement explaining that budget decisions were made "as a result of a $40 million reduction in state aid, the loss of federal education stimulus funds, the loss of revenues due to the troubled economy and a large pension liability." In a March 7 interview with the Providence Journal, Cicilline defended his decisions on issues ranging from pension reform to the use of the reserve as necessary to balance the budget.
Cicilline's office did not return phone calls for comment.
The recent assertions serve as "a reminder that the city of Providence has been driven into the ground by Democratic mayors," said Giovanni Cicione, chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party. "They have an approach to governance that's destructive, and people are suffering because of what they've done."
Citing the city's looming budget deficit, Taveras ordered the termination of all 1,926 Providence public school teachers Feb. 23 and announced the closing of four of the city's elementary schools Monday.
‘A savvy politician'
Reactions to Cicilline's handling of the allegations have been mixed.
"This is not something that is going to go away and be forgotten," said Victor Profughi, professor emeritus of political science at Rhode Island College and CEO and research director of the polling firm Quest Research.
In recent interviews, Cicilline has said he faced a decision between dipping into the reserves, and cutting services and raising taxes.
"He's handled it like a savvy politician," Cicione said. "He's dodged it to the extent he can and passed the buck and hopes he comes out clean."
Though Cicilline's mayoral record is mixed, no one could reasonably blame him for all the city's fiscal problems, said Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science and public policy.
"It's easy to blame the guy who's gone," she said, referencing President Barack Obama's public statements faulting former President George W. Bush for the poor state of the economy.
Cicilline has handled recent media coverage to the best of his ability, Schiller said.
"In his eyes, he was mayor — that record is over," she added. "There's no incentive for him, personally or politically, to discuss his record."
While Schiller said she does not think the accusations will have any long-term impact on Cicilline's future political prospects, others are not so sure.
The allegations may cause voters to view the 2010 campaign as a "partial deception" because they believe Cicilline was dishonest about the city's finances, Profughi said. "That puts him in a whole different category than the typical freshman congressman."
Still, Cicilline is moving quickly to repair his image. According to Profughi, he is already working to increase his visibility in the district and to produce legislative accomplishments that he can burnish in 2012.
Road to re-election
By the 2012 elections, Schiller said she expects Providence's finances to be in better condition. At that point, voters are more likely to view Cicilline as the candidate fighting a Republican majority than be concerned with allegations of mismanaging the city's finances.
Given the enormity of the budget deficit, the GOP chair said he thinks the city will still be struggling in 2012. "Even if Angel Taveras was on his A-game every day for the next 500 days, I don't see how he can get Providence out of this," Cicione said.
As for Cicilline's reelection chances, though, "two years is a political eternity," he said.
But Profughi said he thinks Cicilline will not be able to outrun allegations against his mayoral record so easily.
"Two years is not a long time to offset negativism that goes back to his days as mayor," he added. "He's got a long way to go and a short time to do it."
Former state Rep. John Loughlin, who lost to Cicilline last fall, could seek a rematch. Much will depend on whether he can match Cicilline's fundraising prowess, Schiller said.
To have a chance at unseating Cicilline, Loughlin would need the Republican National Committee to start pouring money into the campaign immediately, she added.
For the moment, it's difficult to know if Loughlin would garner that kind of national support, Cicione said, adding that the national committee generally decides its funding priorities in the last two to three months leading up to the election.
Other names being floated as potential challengers in the 2012 race are Col. Brendan Doherty, former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, and John Robitaille, last fall's Republican candidate for governor.
Though no Democratic challengers are immediately apparent, Profughi said he "wouldn't write it off as a possibility." Cicione agreed, adding that Democrats "want to defend the seat as best they can," with or without Cicilline.
According to Schiller, challengers will only split the anti-Cicilline vote. More challengers mean a greater likelihood that Cicilline will win, she said.
Still, both Schiller and Profughi agree that Loughlin would be the candidate best positioned to mount a successful challenge. The six-point margin between Loughlin and Cicilline was closer than most expected, Schiller said.
But Providence's mayoral history shows voters might not hold a grudge. Former Mayor Buddy Cianci resigned during his first term after pleading guilty to assaulting a contractor, whom he suspected of having an affair with his wife. He was later re-elected mayor.
"It's all a scale of what the voter's willing to accept," Schiller said. "Anybody who woke up and thought, ‘Well, we should have had perfectly clean government and perfectly transparent government in the city of Providence' hasn't lived in the city of Providence."
