Cicilline issues email explaining his time as mayor

Posted: 4/13/2012 4:05:23 PM
Updated: 4/13/2012 4:07:22 PM

The David Cicilline for Congress Campaign issued an email to supporters today and explained some of his recent interviews.

He said that he has decided to directly address his decisions as mayor of Providence after many people asked him too.

“During my eight years I always made the decisions that I thought were best for the residents of Providence. In making budget decisions in my final year, my goal was to do everything possible to protect residents from any additional property tax or car tax increase during a crippling recession and at a time when folks just couldn’t endure any additional tax burden,” reads the Email.

 “On reflection I underestimated the length and depth of the recession and its impact on the city and on city revenues. I was too optimistic about the city’s financial future and the potential to restore the Carcieri cuts.” The email goes on to blame the recession, the lack of city revenue, and the slow implementation of a school funding formula for the cities problems.

“I felt as if I had spoken a lot about the financial challenges facing the city in testimony at the State House with other Mayors, and during my budget address. It is now clear to me that I did not sound the alarm frequently enough or loudly enough,” reads the email. “My sounding the alarm was balanced against the responsibility I felt to promote Providence, demonstrate confidence in our city’s future, and encourage new investment.”

Cicilline said he spoke about the city so optimistically because “we had come so far.” He explains that he inherited a $59 million dollar budget gap and a “structural deficit that according to a RIPEC report would be $216 million dollars by 2008 if corrective action was not taken immediately.”

Cicilline says when he took over as mayor the police department was plagued by scandal, city contracts were bloated, and the pension system was grossly underfunded.

In the email Cicilline says he lowered crime to the lowest in 30 years and attract billions of dollars in new investments and jobs. He said his administration created the Providence After School Alliance and won the $50 million Race to the Top Competition.

Cicilline says he cleaned up the police department with merit based hiring and promotions, abolished the tow list, and fought against the pensions of those who “violated public trust.”

He also takes responsibility for negotiating healthcare co-shares with city employees and meeting deals with the city’s non-profits.

At the end he says, “I made many decisions in my eight years as Mayor and certainly made some mistakes. But most of all, I want you to know that we worked hard every day as an Administration to improve the quality of life in Providence.”

He never officially says, “I’m sorry” in the email the way he did earlier this week in an interview with WPRI-TV’s Tim White.

Dee DeQuattro | WPRO News