filed under Only In RI | Politics | Readings & Lectures
Buddy: Redux
10:10PM ON
03/18/2008
BY
Ariel Werner
For those of you who missed Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci at Brown tonight, he was incredible [and bald]. Those of us who’ve read The Prince of Providence saw a very different Buddy tonight. First, he narrated his time as Mayor, the challenges he faced, and his accomplishments. He then made some key policy prescriptions–some minor, some radical:
- Providence Gardens: Buddy’s plan to cover I-95 from Broad Street to Atwells, connecting downtown with the West Side and opening a ton of land for development, residential space, business, and gardens. The highway would run, like a tunnel, under this development.
- Development on the other side of the mall, more so than exists already.
- Narragansett Landing: Development of 200 acres stretching from the Hurricane Barrier to Allens Ave. to Roger Williams Park. This would include a revamped Port of Providence, lots of jobs, and lots of green space along the South side of the city.
- The three above projects, titled “the 3 Cities” encompass 538 acres in Buddy’s imagination. He admits, “Some of that would have happened, but I was detained a little while.”
- Most radical, his plan to conglomerate the PVD metro area into one giant city including Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, East Providence, and North Providence. With or without conglomerating these cities and towns, he said, we are a city of 500,000 people that should have a unified government, tax base, police department, fire department, school department, and social services. Rhode Island is, and should be, a city-state, the former Mayor declared. He spent a long time ragging on suburban sprawl.
Some of Buddy’s other more general prescriptions/ideas: we need to reclaim the waterfront; the State government must overcome its fiscal difficulties [why didn't we think of that!?!]; State government needs urban policy and to prioritize urban issues; PVD needs to be more automobile-oriented, but more people need to use our public transportation.
He also spent some time showing former campaign commercials, and outtakes from the sessions in which they were filmed. In one, he is standing in front of the Silverlake Community Police Department, heralding the benefits of community policing, when a car drives by honking at him with excitement, and he says, “Awww f*ck. Can’t these idiots seem I’m f*ckin’ filming?”
I had the chance to ask Buddy the first question, which was, “Shortly after you were released, you made a statement in Rhode Island Monthly declaring that while incarcerated, you came to believe that mandatory minimum sentences are unjust and our drug laws are too harsh. Based on these ideas, what advice would you give to current and future administrations, both mayoral and General Assembly, to fix Rhode Island’s criminal justice system?” After laughingly saying, “Good question,” and explaining that it would take the whole evening to explain necessary changes for our justice system, he basically rehashed his position from RI Monthly, saying that the crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparities are unjust and that the U.S. Sentencing Commission was wise to reduce them, and that there is “not a lot of rehabilitation going on in [our prisons.]”
If you haven’t seen Cherry Arnold’s documentary, Buddy: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Notorious mayor, check it out. And look out for Buddy’s book, on which he is currently working.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:48AM
Matt Jerzyk Says:
Very nice fluff piece on Buddy. For those of us who were around doing social justice work when he was Mayor, we remember how he was adamantly opposed to the living wage campaign, civilian review of the police and how corruption in the school and police department harmed tens of thousands of kids around our city.
Buddy never lacked vision for the City. In fact, this was his best strategy. Whenever there was an injustice or a shooting or another story about rampant corruption at City Hall, Buddy would offer another “vision.” He lived the maxim that the best defense is a good offense.
And, for the record, his “3 cities” idea - which went nowhere for many reasons - is 9 years old. Here’s one story I dug up:
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A tale of three ‘new cities’ - Consultants sought for ambitious design jobs Providence Journal-Bulletin (Rhode Island) June 7, 1999, Monday,
Copyright 1999 The Providence Journal Company
Providence Journal-Bulletin (Rhode Island)
June 7, 1999, Monday, All EDITIONS
SECTION: NEWS, Pg. 1C
LENGTH: 1754 words
HEADLINE: A tale of three ‘new cities’ - Consultants sought for ambitious design jobs
BYLINE: GREGORY SMITH; Journal Staff Writer
BODY:
PROVIDENCE - Officials are laying what may come to be the first bricks in Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.’s RNew Cities.S
The Providence Redevelopment Agency is advertising for consultants who want to sign up for the job of planning and designing the three cities. It’s a grand opportunity for urban planners and architects to imprint a vision on a large piece of a mid-sized American city.
New Cities aims to redevelop underutilized and ugly parts of Rhode Island’s capital city with mixed commercial, industrial, residential and recreation uses.
Given its scale, New Cities Ris the most significant undertaking in the history ofS Providence, according to Patrick McGuigan, executive director of the Providence Plan.
But before anyone tries to forward his mail to one of the New Cities, he should know something.
The names have been changed.
Welcome to RNarragansett Landing,S or the harborfront, RWestminster Crossing,S in the vicinity of Broad Street and Atwells Avenue, and RPromenade,S along the Woonasquatucket River.
When Cianci announced his New Cities ambition at his inauguration last January he called those areas, respectively, RRiverside Drive,S RDowncityS and RValley Parkway.S
Riverside Drive was dropped in favor of Narragansett Landing, the mayor said last week, to avoid possible confusion with the Riverside section of East Providence. Westminster Crossing is more evocative of the goal of reconnecting downtown with the neighborhoods to the west than Downcity was, he said. And Promenade is the name that the city has used for many years for much of what was to be called Valley Parkway.
Realization of the dream depends on a lot of new or expanding businesses setting up shop in those areas. Some 40,000 jobs could be created over 15 years if the economy holds up and everything works out, officials say. Especially in the case of the Promenade target area, many of the jobs would be intended for residents of adjacent neighborhoods.
Providence currently has about 100,000 private-sector jobs.
With full Rbuild-outS of the cities, $ 1.5 billion in development value would be created, McGuigan said.
The focus areas are:
Narragansett Landing, the 120-acre harborfront, which the city calls Rthe most significant waterfront development parcel in Rhode Island.S It stretches nearly two miles from Point Street to the Cranston border and includes the Port of Providence, Johnson & Wales University Harbor Campus and Fields Point sewer plant.
The city envisions a two-phase project, with the southern half not begun until the northern half is nearly completed. The northern half encompasses the strip between Point Street, Route 95 to the west and Thurbers Avenue to the south.
Development would feature mixed uses, the city suggests, emphasizing utilization of the waterfront.
RThe waterfront should be dramatic landscape, possibly including tall residential towers with a view of the city to the north and Narragansett Bay to the south,S according to a formal solicitation of consultants.
Westminster Crossing, which would include 12 acres of air rights above Route 95 from Broad Street north to Atwells Avenue plus adjacent portions of downtown, Federal Hill, the West End and South Providence. Total acreage was not immediately available.
The goal is to deck over the interstate highway in order to create usable space and to reconnect downtown with the neighborhoods to the west. Perhaps Westminster Street can be reopened at Cathedral Square to reconnect its downtown segment with the segment in the West End and West Broadway neighborhoods, the city suggests.
RAt present the Route 95 ‘trench’ cuts through the heart of the city, dividing east from west,S the solicitation states. RNoise and fumes from some 24,000 cars a day are funneled upward, discouraging pedestrians from crossing the bridges and discouraging all but marginal real estate development.
RBy decking over the highway trench, an attractive setting for major development .?.?. will be created.S
Officials emphasize a phased approach in which neighborhood revitalization would begin before the deck is built.
Promenade is 200-plus acres stretching from Providence Place mall west to Olneyville Square and dominated by mill buildings dating to the era of 1880 to 1920.
RWe envision a 21st century industrial park that weaves industrial buildings, parking, open space, transportation and technology in an urban setting,S the solicitation states. The idea would be to weed out some of the dilapidated buildings and partially fill in with new construction.
The planned Woonasquatucket Greenway would be a prominent feature. But officials pointed out that silting in the river will need attention.
The Redevelopment Agency recently approved the formal solicitation of consultants to work on what John F. Palmieri, agency executive director, called Rthis bold vision for the next century.S
Palmieri told agency members that it might take more than a year to make that vision palpable. But officials have set up a timetable to keep things moving along.
Progress would be marked ceremoniously on Jan. 20, 2000, when the mayor expects to announce a Rvision planS for RThe New Cities Initiative: Developing New Neighborhoods for Providence.S
According to the timetable, the vision plan would be put into a master plan by March 1, 2000 and a final redevelopment plan by May 1, 2000.
RWe’re very anxious to go and we’re waiting to see the qualifications of the firms,S Cianci remarked. He predicted a vigorous competition with 15 consulting teams vying for each of the three assignments. The deadline for replies to the solicitation is June 18.
One of the consultants’ tasks will be to estimate the costs of redevelopment and propose ways to pay for it. The city will ask for Rfunding approaches not presently used in Rhode Island that have a proven track record in other states,S and private and federal financial sources excluding the federal Community Development Block Grant Program.
Just to do the preliminary work on New Cities, including design, officials figure it will cost $ 1.1 million. And they are scrambling to find that money. Among the sources tapped so far is the Rhode Island Foundation, which has agreed to donate $ 150,000.
The city will need significant private and government financial commitments to build New Cities, and it is trying to get entities from both sectors involved now, McGuigan said. If they get involved now they will be more likely to help pay for the projects later, he said.
Among those involved is McGuigan’s Providence Plan, which is a quasi-government nonprofit agency devoted to the long-range planning of the city. Because it is a tax-exempt charitable organization it can get grants from foundations that won’t give money to municipalities. The organization also can help with planning expertise and database information about the city.
RIPEC is doing a three-part analysis of development factors and opportunities that Gary Sasse, executive director, called a necessary prelude to the city’s hiring of consultants to work on the target districts. It also would recommend where further study would be advisable.
RIPEC would scan the local economy and point out the types of development that would have the best chance of success and the factors involved in attracting businesses and investment capital, and would make suggestions on how the city can best market itself to investors.
It would also identify what it calls competitor cities and benchmark cities that stand out for what they have accomplished. Hartford, for example, might be a competitor city and Indianapolis a benchmark city, Sasse said.
Helping RIPEC is consultant Eric Anderson, a former senior staff member at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.
In the solicitation, the Redevelopment Agency asks consultants to assemble a team either from within the same firm or from a number of firms that demonstrates the capacity to do the work. Each team is supposed to have professionals in city planning, urban design/architecture, and transportation, environmental and structural engineering, among other disciplines.
Each competing team must show an understanding of the scope of the study, propose a study methodology, present professional resumes and examples of past work, identify a team member who would be based in Rhode Island, and submit a fee proposal, among other things.
RThis project is obviously ambitious,S the solicitation says. RWe expect results within a short time after implementation has begun. But we also understand that these developments are on a massive scale and may not achieve full build-out for several years.
RTherefore, it is necessary to have a vision of the end product while also considering what can be done in the short term. We would like a clear vision statement for each of the three neighborhoods which touches on land use, massing, density, open space, theme, timetable, development phases, etc.S
Would-be consultants are being told that the project areas are Rinherently problematic.S Narragansett Landing, for example, has been devoted to industry and port activities for almost 100 years. So it would be quite a job to introduce residential towers, office buildings and marinas, as officials are suggesting.
Each consulting team would be expected to describe the nature of the impediments to redevelopment. To assess environmental conditions, officials said the city would seek money from the Environmental Protection Agency.
If the team assigned to Narragansett Landing wants to do any filling of the waterfront, officials noted, it must include an analysis of the pros and cons of using dredge spoils for the fill.
On the other hand, the solicitation asserts that there are Rnumerous expanding industriesS in Providence and surrounding areas. The capital city is home to five major universities, health care providers that serve most of Rhode Island, and a Rblossoming tourism and entertainment industry.S
And there is Reven a repatriation of residents,S the solicitation states.
The mayor was asked for proof that people are moving back to Providence, where a middle-class flight to the suburbs left a diminished population.
Insisted Cianci, RWait till you see the census. There’s a trend. People are looking.S The proof, he said, is in burgeoning real estate values on the East Side and Mount Pleasant, where houses are being snapped up as soon as they go on the market.
LOAD-DATE: June 8, 1999
[Reply]
March 19th, 2008 at 9:34AM
Ariel Werner Says:
Some of us were 12 in 1999 and didn’t know how to fit the words “social” and “justice” together in a meaningful sentence. You’re right about that. Not trying to write a Buddy “fluff piece,” just trying to recap a lecture, given in a room with lots of laughing students who appreciated his vision and humor but clearly took it all with a mound of salt. But thanks, Matt.
[Reply]
March 19th, 2008 at 10:52AM
John Biltobe Says:
Outrageous….
Was last night talking with someone who recounted the story of his family member who owned a store in Providence during the Buddy “Regime”.
Someone came into his store and asked him for campaign ‘contributions’ to the mayor’s fund. He refused.
The next week he was cited by DPW for allegedly depositing his trash in a public receptacle outside of his shop.
Complete thuggery.
Again shame on Brown for entertaining this loser.
And wake up Brown students! Don’t celebrate corruption/cult of personality!
[Reply]
March 19th, 2008 at 1:25PM
Ariel Werner Says:
Shame on Brown? I think it is perfectly appropriate to offer a speaking forum to one of the city’s most notorious figures. The administration did not endorse him, in any way. Neither Ruth nor any prominent faculty member attended the lecture (many turned out for Angela Davis last month), although Buddy referenced both Ruth and Darrell West in his remarks. He was introduced by an undergraduate member of the lecture board, not a prestigious university official. How does this compare to Columbia entertaining Ahmadinejad? Being introduced by President Bollinger? Universities should be places where anyone who has something to say can say it, whether or not their opinions are popular or their legacies celebrated. First Amendment and forum for ideas, WOOT WOOT!
Also, I think we Brown students are pretty awake already. By being so reactionary and upset about Buddy’s cult of personality, you only lend credence to his status and message. At Brown last night, Buddy made fun of himself and his mistakes and made some pretty accurate points about the state of our city. This is not to say that he didn’t highlight his accomplishments while ignoring his corrupt and thuggish past (he did), or to say that he is the one to bring meaningful change to Rhode Island (he isn’t), but he’s a funny figure in Rhode Island politics, one worth listening to, one worth laughing at.
Sometimes, we lefty politicos have a tendency to take ourselves way too seriously. The Prince of PVD was one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read. The story of Buddy’s rise and fall is unparalleled in its hilarity, and if not for figures like Buddy, PVD would be significantly more boring.
[Reply]
March 19th, 2008 at 1:26PM
PeterS Says:
I could write a whole lot in response to those “visions” Buddy presented but instead I’ll just focus in on one.
He wants to develop the area on the other side of the mall? Really? That’s interesting, seeing as when he was mayor he tried to turn that area into a parking lot for the football stadium he wanted to build with taxpayer money. He wrote off that whole area just 8 years ago and had no qualms about what it would do to the low-income people who live in the nearby neighborhoods.
I wonder what happened that changed his mind. Could it possibly be that he now has a financial interest in that area because of his connections to Paolino? No, couldn’t be that. I mean, please, if there’s one thing Cianci is, it’s a man of principle…right?
[Reply]
March 19th, 2008 at 1:48PM
so bored of buddy Says:
Yes, more boring in some respects, but also: Less poor, with lower property taxes, with fewer people beaten at the hands of the cops, fewer people dead via gang violence, More developed. Less of a laughingstock.
I think that Ariel, as somebody who is pretty hooked in, gets Buddy’s role in the world. Lots of Brown students, especially those who got to Providence after Buddy was out of jail, probably do not.
[Reply]
March 19th, 2008 at 11:26PM
joe bernstein Says:
Ariel-you called me an agitator the other day-I took it with a grain of salt since I was your age in 1966,but now I read this response of yours and I have to say you can rag on me all you want-you’re no dummy-just keep your independence of thought and don’t take as gospel the rantings of 30 year old know it alls-by the way,Angela Davis set up a teenager on a kamikaze mission and it resulted in numerous deaths-she didn’t have the nerve to do the deed herself-check it out on google-enter her name with jonathan jackson/courthouse /fleeta drumgo/christmas/haley-she was acquitted,which was as bad as the original crime-please don’t take anything I say to be true without verifying it yourself-and I don’t take myself that seriously-when someone digs us all up in a few hundred years they won’t know who was who anyway
[Reply]
March 20th, 2008 at 10:31AM
joe bernstein Says:
When I was transferred from Chicago to Providence in 1984 the downtown looked like the back of a radio.Buddy Cianci was about to have his first fall from grace as a result of an assault conviction,and it was surprising that he eventually came back to power,but he did,and like many dynamic politicians he had good and bad sides to him.I personally never voted for Cianci,but I have to say he transformed the downcity area because he did have vision and carried through on it.He is also a man who can take his lumps(federal prison is NOT a country club)and laugh about it.He is no whiner.I haven’t seen Cicilline do much for the city at all-he was going to allow neighborhood libraries to close down-how asinine is that?Those libraries are a learning and communications lifeline for the poor,young,and elderly who maybe can’t afford a computer and can’t go to the central branch at the drop of a hat.It was only pressure that made Cicilline take a step back.I raised this issue with him on a call-in show,pointing out that while Rochambeau on the wealthy east side was being renovated,the less affluent areas were going to get screwed.Libraries are havens for kids at risk-someplace where they can find positive reinforcement-I haven’t heard much of a peep about this from the leffty activists-if I missed something,correct me.Buddy,for better or worse, is a phenomenon and a case study in local political history.
[Reply]
March 20th, 2008 at 11:18AM
Ariel Werner Says:
I know two lefty activists who have offered many peeps (and concrete actions) on the issue of PVD public libraries… David Segal and Seth Yurdin.
http://providencedailydose.com/2007/12/31/public-library-update/
http://www.providenceri.com/CityCouncil/article.php?id=220
http://www.providenceri.com/citynews/article.php?id=10
http://www.votesegal.com/newspapers.php
http://www.projo.com/ri/providence/content/mc_bathouse_01-08-08_VU8H7AC_v13.6f2d53.html
http://sethforcitycouncil.com/eventsandnews.html
[Reply]
March 20th, 2008 at 12:13PM
joe bernstein Says:
Okay-I really don’t know who Seth Yurdin is,but Segal I have little regard for generally.However,I will give anyone credit for doing the right thing on an issue.So-thank you for the input.
[Reply]
March 20th, 2008 at 12:17PM
Ariel Werner Says:
Seth is the City Councilman for Ward 1, Segal’s former seat, which is comprised of Fox Point and parts of the East Side. Seth was elected to this seat in November 2006 after beating out Ethan Ris in the September ‘06 Democratic primary. And I bet if you looked at Segal’s record, you’d find that you agree with him more than you might imagine…
[Reply]
March 20th, 2008 at 4:05PM
joe bernstein Says:
I hate to say this but Segal and Jerzyk have closed their minds way too early in their lives-there is no “one size fits all” available in this world.THEY WANT TO REDUCE EVERYTHING TO TEMPLATES.It doesn’t work that way.If I had the opportunity,I could explain what I mean,but the short answer is that the “party line”doesn’t work for any persuasion-right wing ,left wing whatever.And don’t take this as an endorsement for being “middle of the road”-you should hold strongly to your beliefs,but they have to be YOURS.
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