“He helped make Providence as good as can be,” said Tisch.
#Buddy cianci drivers
“The drivers all knew him and loved him.”Īnother visitor was Tom Tisch, chancellor of Brown University. “We’d see him walking through Kennedy Plaza and we’d give him a thumbs-up and a ‘Hey, Buddy.’” Angell said. Many times, Cianci would show up from his Biltmore apartment and pay their bill. One of the visitors was Bob Angell, 62, who’d often go with 10 fellow bus drivers to Haven Brothers at midnight after their late shift. As he lay in repose by the mayor’s office, he once again had the crowds he loved - the lines long, as over 3,500 paid respects the first day alone. 8, 2016, a Monday, and Buddy would have loved his wake at City Hall the weekend before. “Often,” said Paolino, “at the expense of his family, his relationships and his own health.” Peter and Paul, his fellow mayor Joe Paolino eulogized on how Cianci put Providence before everything. It was almost a metaphor - even as most folks stayed inside from the storm, the mayor was looking after Providence.Īt the soaring Cathedral of SS. The snow was coming down hard as a horse-drawn caisson brought Vincent Cianci Jr. Prison, he said, can take your freedom, but not your dignity.īy now it was 5 p.m., and I was ready to go home.Ĭianci, with no signs of weariness, headed on to several more stops.ĪCT 3 SCENE 4. If I see a street that needs to be fixed, I like to fix it tomorrow."Īfterwards, I asked if jail at first made him hesitate to run. How about a different office - like the legislature?
"Laying on a beach? I have to be involved.
#Buddy cianci tv
“The one thing you learn in prison is you're not going to go there again."Īn hour later, he was at a TV studio for a satellite interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.Īs he waited, I asked if he ever thinks of retirement. A woman asked if “incarceration” had changed him. They lived with their dad but kept the Cianci name after their mom, Nicole, his only child, was lost to drugs. He was 33 and ultimately served 21 years as mayor.įor a half hour, he spoke from the cuff, saying he now had a personal stake with three grandchildren in Providence public schools. He was 73 and on the ballot again, as an independent.Īs he worked the tables, one woman showed him a note he’d written her 40 years before, saying, “I hope I win,” during his first run. It was late October 2014 as I followed Buddy into the Highlands assisted living center off North Main Street. Torres smiled and said that went without saying.īuddy smiled too then his image disappeared.ĪCT 3 SCENE 3. "I do hope I would get credit for the time I already served," he cracked.
#Buddy cianci full
Sometimes, the judge said, a full sentence is needed to teach a lesson.Ĭianci, he declared, would have to serve the full 64 months.īuddy seemed to roll with it - and even made a joke. He was sorry for past mistakes and sorry, too, for any scars left on the city he loved. When it was Cianci’s turn, he spoke humbly. Despite his changed appearance, the old Buddy was still there. The prosecutor, Richard Rose, said Cianci had overseen a “reign of corruption.”īuddy slightly rolled his eyes and audibly groaned. He was 64 and appealing for a reduction by closed-circuit television.Īs his lawyer made his pitch, Cianci seemed calm, but twirled a pen so fast it was a blur. It was June 19, 2005, and he’d already served 2½ years at Fort Dix, half his sentence for corruption. Buddy was without his toupée, had lost weight and aged a bit. I was in a special Providence federal courthouse room when inmate number 05000-070 appeared on a TV screen.Īt first, I didn’t recognize him.
#Buddy cianci trial
The trial aside, he was where he loved to be, at the center of things.ĪCT 3 SCENE 2: IN PRISON. His freedom was at stake.īut he was still smiling and I realized why. Ten minutes later, as he emerged, I expected a grimmer mood. I followed him up the stairs as he traded stories with building staff, then disappeared into a conference room. Some construction workers called out: "Good luck, Buddy." The courthouse was 300 yards away, down Kennedy Plaza. The trial, he said, will take only 22 or so hours a week, and he works 80, so there’s plenty of time to be mayor. It got me asking how he compartmentalizes so well. He remembered from making the rounds for team photos that I was a coach. He was talking about Little League Opening Day. "You going to be there Saturday?" he asked me. I snuck in and approached, sure I’d be shooed away. TV cameras were outside the Biltmore, where Buddy huddled over breakfast with his attorney, Richard Egbert. It was the morning of April 20, 2002, Day 2 of the United States vs.
I had never seen a defendant so calm, or upbeat.
Trinity Rep did a great job staging its version of Mike Stanton’s book “The Prince of Providence.” But it's hard to fit Buddy into two acts, so today, here is Act 3 - some real scenes I witnessed from his later life, beginning where the play ends, at his last trial.
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