Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr.

It seems no matter how many times we mark the passing of a prominent political figure, there’s always one politician who allows their personal/political bias and/or just plain ignorance to get in the way of basic respect and decorum.

The sudden passing of former Providence Mayor and radio personality Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr. most certainly caught us all by surprise. Love him or hate him, “Buddy” was a Rhode Island Institution. He enjoyed favor with the people of Providence, as well as the entire state, on a level most political types can only dream of. Ironically, I think this was both a blessing and a curse for him, as it was pretty obvious many of his political rivals and members of the local media resented him for it.

Nevertheless, and despite his well-documented indiscretions, Mayor Cianci presided over an unprecedented and truly renaissance like transformation of our capital city. My late father used to say, “The only reason I let your mom go (down city) again is because of Buddy”. He also served the state as a prosecutor, and his country a military police officer. So why then would there even be a question about lowering both flags at the state house to honor his memory? Well, I think I’ve already answered that question.