There is Waterplace Park. There are the Water Fires. There are new hotels. There is even a championship minor league hockey franchise. And there is, of course, a popular network television show. All of this represents Providence. But there is more to the capital city – and it’s not all pretty.
“Right now there is a dark cloud hanging over the city,” said Darrell West, professor of political science at Brown University.
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West is not talking about the dark clouds that all urban cities share. The abandoned buildings or the street crime. He’s talking about Plunder Dome – a federal investigation of corruption at Providence City Hall that has resulted in the arrest of three officials in the tax assessor’s office.
Though none of those arrested to date are considered major players in Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr.’s administration, the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S Attorney’s Office continues.
Subpoenas have been issued. Grand jury testimony has been taken. Investigators have suggested that more arrests could follow.
West, who through a series of regular polls keeps close tabs on Rhode Island’s political landscape, does not expect the dark cloud to disappear quickly.
“These types of investigations tend to go on for a long time,” he said.
Cianci has denied any wrongdoing. He has acknowledged speaking with a Boston lawyer, Richard M. Egbert, about whether he must turn over records from a campaign account that the government has requested. If Egbert’s name sounds familiar, it should. Egbert most recently represented former Gov. Edward D. DiPrete in his bribery and extortion case.
And in the 1980s, Egbert represented two city officials charged during a corruption probe at Providence City Hall.
By all accounts, Cianci has conducted business as usual since the investigation into City Hall began. He continues to be enormously popular in and around the city, and continues to bask in the national spotlight as a wide audience discovers the “Renaissance City.”
But West believes that the Plunder Dome investigation has already damaged Cianci’s political prospects.
Just months ago there was talk that the mayor was weighing his political options, said West, and considering a run for Washington, D.C.
“I have heard no talk of his running for the Senate, whereas several months ago there was a lot of talk of that being a possibility,” said West.
Plunder Dome seems to have closed some political doors for Cianci – at least statewide.
“In our last survey we found that Cianci had a very high job approval rating, but people around the state had the perception that corruption at City Hall was a real problem,” West said. “That’s a tough perception.”
But Plunder Dome does not appear to be having a negative impact on the city outside of the political arena, according to James G. Hagan, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
Hagan said the issue does come up in conversation, but he does not see it as having any impact on tourism.
“I just hope they don’t drag it out for years to come,” he said. “It would have been better if it had never happened. But I don’t think it has had a negative impact on tourism in any way.”
As for Cianci, Hagan said he remains a strong draw for the city.
“I get calls from Bridgeport, Hartford, the North Shore,” Hagan said. “They all want to hear him speak. He is a guy who has caught the eye of people outside of the region. Wherever he goes, they write about him. And it all comes back good for us, getting people talking about the renaissance of the city.”
Timothy P. Kirwan, general manager The Westin Hotel in downtown Providence, agrees with Hagan.
“We have seen nothing specific relating to the publicity to date, but it is a topic of conversation,” said Kirwan. “Hopefully, it will be over sooner than later. Those of us in the business of marketing the city want to see this resolved so that we can move on.”
