He also hosts a call-in radio show, which he describes as “lucrative.” Improbably, he is running for a seventh term, as an independent. Though he left prison seven years ago, stores still sell T-shirts that say “Free Buddy” his face is on the label of a popular brand of pasta sauce, Mayor’s Own Marinara. He is also a convicted felon who is something of a local joke. (Philip Gourevitch wrote about Cianci for The New Yorker in 2002.) He is the most influential figure in the city’s modern history, and many people credit him with bringing economic life to what was once a post-industrial backwater. “People think he’s a stain on the city, and they are worried that he’s slick enough to make people forget what he’s done,” Tom said.Ĭianci was the mayor of Providence from 1975 to 1984, and again from 1991 to 2002. The board of directors for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority meets this afternoon to discuss the proposal to redesign Kennedy Plaza and a new fare structure.Susan Teeden-Cielo, a friend from the neighborhood, said, “When Hollybeth announced this, she got a lot of hate just for giving Buddy the time of day.” (Responding to Runco’s invitation, one neighbor wrote, “This waste of skin is a cancer to Providence.”) The Tiverton Town Council is scheduled to elect a new president and vice president tonight following the recall of Councilors Robert Coulter and Justin Katz. tonight and tomorrow night: “ America Too: It’s Our Health,” a series of short theatrical stories focused on health and wellness in the community. Have an idea? E-mail us at of Shepard Fairey, he’s giving a public lecture at AS220 at 7 p.m. For best basketball player, Ernie DiGregorio edged out Marvin Barnes by four votes to take the crown.Įach day, Rhode Map offers a cheat sheet breaking down what’s happening in Rhode Island. Winner: We broke another record for responses to the question of the week. What’s next for Providence schools? I talked with Scott MacKay and John Bender of The Public’s Radio about some of the key issues to watch. Lauren Daley talked to artist Shepard Fairey, who is set to begin creating his 100th large-scale mural in Providence. Meet the food truck operator who got close to Jennifer Lawrence’swedding in Newport over the weekend. Have an idea for someone Ed should talk to? Email him at political operative who was indicted Friday on charges of money laundering and making a prohibited campaign contribution to benefit House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello’s 2016 campaign has worked for both parties (and an independent) over the last two decades. Ed Fitzpatrick’s first interview is with David Osborne, the CEO of Virgin Pulse. If you’ve got a scoop or a link to an interesting news story in Rhode Island, e-mail us at launched a new Q&A feature to highlight Rhode Island’s most innovative business leaders. This is also a chance for her to set the record straight about what it was really like to be married to him. If she doesn’t speak up, no one will ever know what it was like for her to be so close, such a witness, to life with Cianci. Nearly all of the men I spoke to in the Barboza case said that had some influence on their decisions to come forward.įor Sheila, the man she was most afraid of is dead. The #MeToo movement has helped many victims speak up, because they see that other people are being heard and believed. It’s timing - people seem to be ready to talk when I find them, almost as if they’ve been waiting for someone to ask them how they feel.įor the Barboza series, the men who allege they are victims of childhood sexual abuse are now in their 50s and coming to terms with what happened in their past. How do you get people to talk to you?Īmanda: It’s really not about me. Q: We’ve only been working together for six months, but I’m always so impressed with how you handle interviews on stories like this and the David Barboza series. It wasn’t until now, I think, that she realized how powerful her story is. Since the article came out, Sheila said she’s been flooded with calls from friends, all supportive and very proud of her. There are still things she won’t talk about. So are many of the people connected to him who she believes, with reason, could hurt her for talking. Why do you think she was ready to tell it now?Īmanda: Sheila is pretty blunt about that. Q: Everyone has a Buddy story, but Sheila is one of the few people who has never told hers. It was like being at a very exclusive one-woman show. And for the next hour or so, she opened up and told stories that gave us all goosebumps. Sheila sat in the “mayor’s chair.” It was like a seat of power. We walked onto the stage, which is hand-painted to resemble the interior of City Hall, just to take some photographs. Then, and I’m not sure how it happened, we all relaxed.
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