Political Corruption in Rhode Island:

A Big Problem in a Little State

CORRUPTION IN RI Rhode Island and Providence undoubtedly are more corrupt than some states and cities. The list of those found guilty of corruption in recent years in Rhode Island includes a former governor, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, a former Superior Court judge, a former mayor of Pawtucket, mayor of Providence and any number of politicians, lawyers, and businessmen.

DEFINITION OF CORRUPTION The term refers to various offenses by public officials including bribery, the sale of offices, granting of public contracts to favored firms of individuals and granting of land or franchises in return for monetary rewards. Columbia Encyclopedia

EXAMPLES

A woman testified that she paid $5,000 to one of Cianci's three co defendants to get her son a job on the force. When her son got put out of the training program, she asked for the money back. They said," Forget it." Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, Jr., the mayor of Precedence is convicted in connection with the beating of a man he believed was cheating with his wife. Rhode Island is a state "known as Rogue's Island" where corruption is regarded as something of an intramural sport. "

RESOURCES http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/include.pl/extra/plunder/stories/20010408side.htm http://ocgri.org/! http://www.commoncauseri.org/about.scr Insight  on the News, Dec. 13, 1993 v9 n50 p10(5) Corruption reaches fork in the Rhode. The Columbia Encyclopedia, ed. 6, 2000 p9548 Corrupt Practices Time, May 20, 2002 v159 i20 p47 Can Buddy beat the Rap? Spend an evening with Providence's Mayor Cianci.  Folks love him-the feds want to put him away.

For More Information:

Operation Clean Government

Common Cause

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ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ADDRESSING POLITICAL CORRUPTION:

Operation Clean Government (OCG) is a grassroots government reform organization working to bring about positive changes in Rhode Island state government.  We advocate the passage of legislation which will provide Honest, Responsible, and Responsive state government. We file court suits and ethics complaints and advise the public of government wrongdoing via OCG newsletters, press releases, email alerts, opinion pieces in newspaper editorial pages, and via other media.   Common Cause of Rhode Island is a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to promote representative democracy by ensuring open, ethical, accountable, effective government processes at local, state and national levels by educating and mobilizing the citizens of Rhode Island.

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