Here in Rhode Island, we seem to have a tradition of corrupt politicians. From our dumpster-diving Governor Ed DiPrete to Providence’s convicted mayor-turned-talk-show-host Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci, the antics of elected officials fill the news, and fill us with a mixture of disgust and delight.
I mean, really, what could be better than the image of a pudgy balding man digging through the dumpster behind Walt’s Roast Beef on Airport Road looking for a brown paper bag filled with a $10,000 payoff?
Or my favorite from Buddy’s first term: the mayor ordering his Providence Police Officer bodyguard and chauffeur to hold down his ex-wife’s lover whom he then threatened with a burning log.
If it was Hollywood, you’d say it’s fiction, but here, it’s just another day.
Recently, we’ve been having a spate of new accusations. I’ll just give the brief updates, and try to keep you posted as things get more heated.
- In Central Falls, a one-square mile city that was once wealthy, but is now the poorest spot in the state, the Mayor has been accused of giving city contracts for a friend to board up abandoned buildings in exchange for “considerations”
- In East Providence, three city councilmen were just indicted on corruption. It seems that they split a payoff to approve a zoning variance for a large shopping plaza. They didn’t know that the other counselor had spoken to the FBI and was wearing a wire… Of course it still meant that the zoning was approved…
Anyway, I thought you’d enjoy hearing a bit about our peccadilloes. More as they develop…
And to celebrate, my comic story, “Old Scratch Nickels” was just posted up on iTunes!
Download it, listen and laugh! http://bit.ly/oldscratch