Candidates Take Shots at Providence Mayoral Forum
Thursday, September 18, 2014
The candidates for Mayor of Providence explained their policy positions -- and took shots at each other -- at a debate at Laurelmead in Providence on Wednesday.
Addressing a packed room of nearly all senior citizens, former Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, Democrat Jorge Elorza, and Republican Dan Harrop sparred over their positions, and each other.
In a debate where Elorza called Cianci an "embarrassment" to Providence, and Cianci hit back asking why Elorza asked him to lunch last year to ask for his support, the question-and-answer session turned heated at times as the candidates were allowed to ask each other direct questions at the end of the session.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBringing up the Past
The debate started with Cianci being asked if he still believed, as he'd once stated, that "every politician has to do the wrong thing" at points in order to "get the right thing done."
Speaking to a crowd of mostly retirees, Cianci spoke of bending the rules during his tenure in office to allow an elderly couple who had missed their tax bill due to hospitalization to not have to pay it all in full, as would have been required by law.
In his opening remarks, Elorza stated that in addition to running on a platform of bringing opportunities and jobs back to the city, he wanted to change the culture of corruption at City Hall. Cianci later responded to Elorza's accusations of City Hall corruption by saying he hasn't been in office in twelve years.
"Are you saying that City Hall has had a culture of corruption for the past 12 years? You're saying it's pay-to-play? Who's doing all this stuff?" quipped Cianci.
Education Focus
Elorza stated in the debate that he "believed in full service community schools," and was looking to Cincinnati, Ohio as an example of what could be done in Providence.
Elorza stated his plan would entail "bringing services from the community into the schools," and allow for such programs as "sports, music, and financial literacy."
Republican Harrop quipped that he "liked Elorza's plan" -- but that Elorza could be Mayor "after my plan, that's the only way he'd have the money" to do it. During the debate, Harrop said he would take no salary as Mayor, and serve only one term if elected.
Elorza said that Providence currently has only one grant writer in the school department, and pointed to the success of Central Falls in using grants to fund school programs as an ideal Providence should replicate.
Bankruptcy, Job Development
Cianci hit out at Harrop to ask him what would happen to property values if the city went into receivership, a move which Harrop is strongly advocating.
Harrop acknowledged that in the short term, property values could go down. "After 3, 4, 5 years, it comes back, " said Harrop.
Cianci said during the debate that he would be announcing his plan for the Port of Providence in the coming week, and that was a cornerstone of his economic policy.
In the forum's final segment, Harrop quipped, "If it stays this fun, I may just stay in until Election Day," hitting upon speculation he might not stay in the race through the end.
Harrop then went on to chastise Cianci for bringing up Elorza's shoplifting arrrest, as well as the question of Elorza's religion, into the conversation.
Related Slideshow: TV’s Role in Political Campaigns Diminishes
The slides below break down how much money each candidate in this year's statewide primary races for Governor, Lt. Governor, General Treasurer, and Secretary of State as well as the Democratic primary for Mayor of Providence spent on television advertising. To put these numbers in context, the slides also show total campaign spending by each candidate, and the % of the vote each candidate received on Primary Day.
The total local TV advertising figure for each candidate encompasses all local TV expenditures per the FCC political filings made available to GoLocalProv by local TV networks ABC6, WJAR 10, WPRI 12, and Fox Providence 64.
An analysis of the FCC filings shows that there were a number of state races in which the candidate who spent the most on local television advertising over the course of the campaign season was defeated.
Related Articles
- With Solomon Leading Democratic Primary, Smiley To Drop Out and Support Elorza
- Elorza Outlines Vision for Curriculum and Assessments
- Deal Done: Smiley and Elorza Team Up to Try and Beat Back Solomon
- Elorza/Smiley Deny Back Room Deal in Mayoral Shake Up
- Russell Moore: Elorza, Smiley Cut an Insider’s Deal
- Elorza Responds to Smiley Over Marrocco Support
- NEW: Smiley Calls for Elorza to Disavow Marrocco Endorsement, Money
- Elorza Blasts Smiley for “Intentionally Misleading Voters”
- “Anybody But Cianci” Group Forming to Take on Buddy
- Russell Moore: Anybody But Cianci?
- NEW: Cianci Compares Providence Past and Present in New Ad
- NEW: Harrop Posts to Facebook - He is Dropping Bid for GOP Chair
- NEW: GOP Names Smiley Chair After Chaotic Vote, Harrop Unaware
- Travis Rowley: Froma Harrop - Suicide Pilot
- Harrop Withdraws, No Republican Running for Mayor of Providence
- The Scoop: Harrop Blasts RI GOP Over Failure to Attract Hispanics
- The Scoop: Harrop Courts Latino Vote; Green Infrastructure Grant
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Daniel Harrop: Real Choice for Providence
- Questions Daniel Harrop Must Answer to be Providence’s Next Mayor
- Arthur Schaper: Harrop, Hispanics, and How to Help RI GOP
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Jorge Elorza: Providence Needs to Develop a Citywide Broadband Internet Network
- Cianci Running for Mayor
- The Economist Dubs Providence “NE Armpit” and Cianci “Gangster”
- Ric Santurri: The Big Question– Can Cianci Win?
- NEW: Poll Shows Solomon Can Beat Cianci
- Cianci Names Cyd McKenna Campaign Manager
- NEW: Cianci Announces Campaign Leadership Team for Providence Mayoral Run
- GoLocal Goes 1-on-1 With Marrocco: He Slams Cianci and Solomon
- Questions Buddy Cianci Must Answer to be Providence’s Next Mayor
- LISTEN: “Anybody But Cianci” Group Forming to Take on Buddy
- NEW: Former Cianci Driver Rep. Hull Endorses Smiley
- LISTEN: Is WPRO Violating Equal Time with Buddy Cianci Show Title?
- Cianci 1-on-1 Interview: Cicilline “Deficit King” and So Much More
- Is WPRO Violating Equal Time with Buddy Cianci Show Title?
- John Perilli: Buddy Cianci’s Long, Sad Comeback Trail
- National Media Reacts to Buddy Cianci Running for Mayor
- NEW: Smiley Challenges Cianci to Debate on Ethics and Good Government
- Ron Reacts: The General Assembly and Buddy Cianci
- Will Cianci Run for Mayor of Providence on a Regionalization Platform?
- Buddy Cianci: Timeline of His Life
- Cianci’s Former Fire Chief Now Earns Pension of Nearly $200,000 Annually
- Russell Moore: Elorza, Smiley and Double Standards
- Questions Jorge Elorza Must Answer to be Providence’s Next Mayor
- Who Has the Best Chance to Beat Cianci - Elorza or Solomon (or Harrop)
- NEW: Elorza Calls for Annual “North by Northeast” Festival in Providence Beginning in 2016
- INVESTIGATION: Elorza Failed to Disclose Arrest
- Solomon Campaign Says Elorza’s Plagiarism Makes Him Not ‘Fit to be Mayor’
- Elorza Prevails in Providence Mayoral Democratic Primary
- NEW: Former Smiley Staffers Join Elorza Ranks
- NEW: Elorza Picks Up Three More Endorsements
- Elorza Receives Roberts’ Endorsement
- NEW: Elorza Camp Reports High Voter Turnout at Summit Commons
- York Endorses Elorza
- Elorza Plagiarized Diossa Apology for Stealing