Former prosecutor in the State of Rhode Island Office of Attorney General, longest serving mayor in Providence, Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. has been widely credited for revitalizing the city’s economy and positive image.
First elected in 1975, Cianci resigned from office in 1984, pleading no contest to a charge of assault. He spent the next few years as a radio talk show host, only to be reelected as mayor in 1991 with the campaign slogan, ‘He never stopped caring about Providence.’
In April 2001, Cianci was indicted on federal criminal charges of racketering, conspiracy, extorition, witness tampering, and mail fraud. He was acquitted of 26 of 27 charges and convicted of one charge of conspiracy, for which he was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison.
On July 28, 2007 his sentence formally ended. He will be eligible to run for mayor of Providence again in 2012, three years after his probation ends.
Buddy Cianci is also known for his marinara sauce: 100% of the profits of which go to the Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. Scholarship Fund for Providence students.
Since the sauce went on the market in 1996, it has been favored by Bill Clinton, Al Gore, the president of Italy and the prime minister of Portugal. On one occasion Cartier wreathed a jar with gems and put it in their New York store front window.
The sauce is an adaptation of an old family recipe – a mix of tomatos, onions garlic, olive oil, peppers, herbs and carrots.
I have been told that, with the great success of the Mayor’s Own Marinara Sauce (MOMS), Cianci jokingly considered coming out with other products to help Providence students, such as Mayor’s Own Bread (MOB) but thought better of it.
In 2000, Cianci turned down the opportunity to hawk his marinara sauce on HBO’s Soprano’s, saying “To accept would be to compromise the pride I have in my heritage, my ethnic background and my strong beliefs that bias against any indiviudal or group is morally wrong.”
As of September 26, 2007, Buddy was acting as a radio talk show host [weekdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.] on 630 WPRO, reportedly critical of Providence Mayor David Cicilline, but protective of city council.
This photograph of Vincent A. ‘Buddy’ Cianci Jr. with his marinara sauce was taken in Providence, Rhode Island on August 9, 2007.