The mayor has defended the spending as legitimate. Campaign officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. It was time to rid the city of corruption, once and for all, he said. For seven years, federal prosecutors investigated City Hall, but were never able to nail Cianci, who Almond said was one of the targets. Operation Plunder Dome is not just political theater, Almond said.
Corruption breeds cynicism and distrust among the electorate.
It makes it difficult for him to lobby for state financing for city projects when suburban lawmakers believe the money is being squandered by corrupt city officials. But for the good of the city, he should fight this fight as a private citizen, not the sitting mayor of Providence. The governor said he waited almost a whole day to make his statement because he wanted to read the entire indictment. He consulted with his chief of staff, Joseph Larisa, and press secretary Lisa Pelosi before deciding to call for Cianci's resignation. Almond said he had not contacted Cianci directly, and had no plans to speak with him.