William A. Jacobson
Legal Insurrection
3/2/2011
If you want to see one of the greatest escape acts in the history of politics, witness David Cicilline’s election to the United States Congress last November in the 1st Congressional District of Rhode Island.
Cicilline had been Mayor of Providence, and was endorsed not only by almost all the unions but also by The Providence Journal, which wrote (emphasis mine):
“We endorse Providence Mayor David Cicilline in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District to succeed the retiring Patrick Kennedy. His main rival is Republican state Rep. John Loughlin, a pleasant and generally thoughtful conservative and successful businessman.
Mr. Cicilline has been an honest, energetic and often innovative mayor of Rhode Island’s largest city. He has cleansed city government of much of its reputation for corruption and hired capable people, most notably Police Chief Dean Esserman. He has looked for ideas on better governance from cities all over the world. And he has brought a level of fiscal discipline (including in relations with the city’s far too powerful public-employee unions) that has not been seen in the city for many decades.”
That was then, this is now. Now that Providence has a new — and still Democratic — Mayor, the full extent of Providence’s fiscal mess is coming to light.
I already have written about how a projected $56 million budget shortfall caused the new Mayor to send termination notices to every teacher in the Providence School District, and how Cicilline had the chutzpah to lecture the new Mayor on the need to take hard fiscal decisions (none of which were taken by Cicilline)…
Read the rest at Legal Insurrection.
We’ve also read that Rhode Island’s 2% Governor Lincoln Chafee is stifling speech again in his state. This time the dispute is between Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare (formerly head of the RI State Police) and the current head of the State Police, Rhode Island’s public safety commissioner, Brendan P. Doherty, who reports directly to the Governor. At issue: “the city’s reluctance to participate in a federal program aimed at determining if criminal suspects are in the country illegally.” Illegal immigrants in Rhode Island’s sanctuary city? No problem. Yer Governor man, Linc, has got ya covered!
