Back in 2002, the Providence Charter Review Commission strongly endorsed the addition of at-large seats to the Providence City Council:

The presence of at-large members will free the City Council as a whole from the constraints of ward politics, encourage big-picture thinking, and provide additional avenues for citizens to express concerns about citywide issues. Furthermore, having several at-large seats on the Council will give the legislative branch more opportunities to give input to the executive branch on policies and actions that will affect the entire city, thus creating a better balance in visioning and decision-making.

As it stands, the ward-based council has yet to implement this recommendation. Councilman Cliff Wood of Ward 2 has a proposal, now in the Ordinance Committee, that would reconstitute the council with 10 ward seats and five at-large seats.

As I write in a piece for this week's Phoenix:

“This is a good government reform,” says Wood, pointing to how the city councils in larger communities, such as Boston and Philadelphia, include at-large members.

The catch is that proponents -- who hope to get the issue placed on the November ballot -- face the hurdle of first convincing the City Council to pass it.

Dan Barry, former ProJo scribe-turned-NY Times reporter-and-acclaimed author, makes another one of his occasional forays back to Rhode Island, offering a sharp column today on Buddy Cianci and his perch at WPRO:

At first, Mr. Cianci says, “I was rather docile on the air,” calling a couple of new buildings ugly, criticizing a tax break. But when a city official took the Cianci name in vain again before the City Council, the former mayor chose a road — it wasn’t the high one — and he zeroed in on his successor’s administration.

“When I was locked up, I don’t recall those guys having any qualms saying things about me,” he says. Of course, “those guys” were cleaning up the mess created in part by his betrayal of the public trust.

On the air, Mr. Cianci, 66, tends to tiptoe past the circumstances behind his racketeering conviction (other than to joke that he has a pet dog named Rico); past the corruption that infected his administration, reflected in the F.B.I. videotape of his top aide taking bribes; past the police scandal in which favored officers received advance information about tests for promotions.

Instead, he gleefully attacks Mayor Cicilline and his police commander, Dean M. Esserman. Intermixed with sharp analysis and legitimate criticism — of the city’s poor response to a snowstorm, for example — are taunts and half-truths, released into the radio air like toxic puffs. ....

When asked about this, Mr. Cianci says his job is to be an entertainer, and his on-air persona should not be confused with the real — and changed — Buddy Cianci. Besides, he adds, because he cannot help himself: “I do think they like each other.”

Speaking of economic development, and I'm bit late in getting to this, but Jack Templin of the Providence Geeks sees a lot of promise in the ongoing I-195 relocation project:

For those interested in urban and economic development though, the much more exciting aspect of the I-195 relocation project is not what's going up, but rather what will be coming down - the old stretch of I-195. Once the new I-195 is complete (scheduled for 2012), the old elevated portion of I-195, that cracking, concrete, rusting, metal mess that obtrusively snakes through the middle of Providence, will be razed. With its demise, 19.2 acres of prime center city real estate will be freed for development. Let me write that again - 19.2 acres! ....

 

It is awesome to see our sector so prominent in the context of this historic undertaking. Many of us would love to see RI's info-tech and digital media have a geographic center, a physical hub. And the soon to be uncovered land seems like the perfect spot. Its strengths include:

 

• Easy access to both I-95 and the new I-195; within walking distance of the train station's Amtrak and MBTA lines

• Proximity to many of our institutions of higher learning including Brown, RISD, and Johnson & Wales

• A funky, walkable mixed-use neighborhood with plenty of amenities, and with plenty more to come, including a big new riverfront park

• Adjacency to the state's large and growing bio-tech and medical sectors. From computational biology to medical devices to bioinformatics, there are all sorts of opportunities for our sector and the bio-tech/medical/life science industries to collaborate and innovate

 

Already, there are a myriad of ITDM companies in the vicinity of the old I-195 including Dynamic Diagrams, Creative Circle, SprintOut, Andera, Providence Health Solutions, Diamond Star Media, Machine Hero and Public Display, just to name a few. (See the RI Nexus Map for more.) With the relocation project, and a strategy that has the our sector prominent in the mix, I have little doubt that we can reach the critical mass of people, companies, and activity needed to make the neighborhood the true center of our community.

 

Stay tuned - this could be great.

Jef Nickerson of Greater City: Providence reports that there will a Zoning Board of Review hearing, at 7:30 tomorrow night, on the controversial tower proposed for Federal Hill. Here are the some of Jef's thoughts on the project:

I am writing on behalf of Greater City: Providence in regards to the petition to allow for zoning variances related to the development of a residential building which would be sited at #21 and #32 Federal Street in Federal Hill. We submit that it is premature to consider any ad-hoc zoning variances for this building until the completion of the Federal Hill neighborhood plan in accordance with Providence Tomorrow: The Interim Comprehensive Plan, which was approved by Providence City Council on December 7th, 2007 and by Mayor Cicilline on December 17, 2007.

 

The site of the proposed building is located in a section of the city which is defined by the comprehensive plan as a Transitional Area (Providence Tomorrow: The Interim Comprehensive Plan, Map 11.1, page 96). The purpose of these Transitional Areas is to “provide a transition in height, density and scale between the larger scale development anticipated in the growth districts and the lower scale and density of surrounding neighborhoods (Providence Tomorrow: The Interim Comprehensive Plan, Chapter 11.1, page 98). ....

 

If the Zoning Board of Review is responsible for “Ensuring that all zoning variances and special use permits conform to the (comprehensive) Plan” (Providence Tomorrow: The Interim Comprehensive Plan, Appendix D), then no decision on this request should be made until we have confirmation that this development is in accordance with the vision of this Transitional Area of Federal Hill . The creation of this vision should be decided by the Federal Hill neighborhood plan. That is why Greater City: Providence believes that it is premature to consider any ad-hoc zoning variances for this building approved at this time.

Things are heating up for the future of the land being made available by the I-195 relocation, as we saw with the announcement this week of a related partnership between the state and the city. In related news, David P. Riley and some other advocates have long called for maximizing public access to the land that will be available for fresh uses. A program on the subject is et for Monday:

Making a Special Place at the Head of the Bay Placemaking Workshop

Monday, April 7, 2008, 3 -7 pm, Radisson Hotel (foot of Gano St.)

 

Please join an interactive workshop led by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to imagine a future for the last expanse of shoreline open to the public in Providence, at the head of Narragansett Bay.  Join planners, stakeholders, and citizens concerned about the fate of the former Shooters nightclub for a presentation of what makes waterfront public spaces work in other cities, a placemaking exercise, and a brainstorming session to create a vision that makes the most of India Point’s unique geography and panoramic views and ensures public access to our most distinctive natural and historic asset.

 

Free and open to the public. Pre-registration required.    

Space limited to 100.  

Please call 831-5995 x712 with your name & phone number. 

Sponsored by Head of the Bay Gateway and Friends of India Point Park. Led by Ethan Kent from PPS.

According to audio, via WPRO, from the Providence Police Department's news conference today, Police Chief Dean Esserman says the Providence department won't participate in Governor Carcieri's order calling on local police to work with federal authorities on illegal immigration.

Esserman expressed concern that the order could make Providence residents less likely to report crime. He said he doesn't want to risk the trust that the police have developed in the community.

Dan Yorke, a sharp critic of Esserman, talked about the issue a short time ago with Superintendent Brendan Doherty of the state police. "Reasonable minds may differ," said Doherty, who indicated that the state police will follow the details of Carcieri's immigration order. To not address it, Doherty said, "would be hiding from the issue."

Btw, here's part of the official PPD release about today's newser:

PROVIDENCE- Mayor David N. Cicilline and Providence Police Chief Dean M. Esserman today announced the findings of the United States Justice Department’s five-year investigation into patterns and practices at the Providence Police Department.  The federal probe by the Civil Rights Division began in 2002 under the previous administration following allegations that Providence Police were using excessive force and providing police services in “a discriminatory fashion.”  In issuing its findings, the Justice Department concluded that the Providence Police Department “has made significant improvements” under Chief Esserman’s leadership.

 

“The Department of Justice has completed its review into the Providence Police Department (PPD),” stated the head of the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division, Shanetta Y. Cultlar, in a letter to Chief Esserman, “We want to thank you for your leadership and cooperation throughout the duration of this matter and we are pleased to report that the matter is now closed.”

 

“This is a police department that used to exist under a cloud of corruption, low morale and was at war with the community,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “The Justice Department’s findings validate the hard work of the men and women of the Police Department to transform this agency into a national model in law enforcement.”

 

“Credit goes to the rank and file of this great police department for all the success and recognition here today,” said Colonel Esserman.

For a reminder of how problem-plagued the Providence Police Department used to be, let's recall that the situation was serious enough that the US Department of Justice launched a patterns and practice investigation involving the PPD.

While Police Chief Dean Esserman has his critics, particularly at WPRO, I credit the chief for bringing some much-needed improvements to the department, including an overdue and robust commitment to community policing.

And this announcement came in a short time ago:

PROVIDENCE- Mayor David N. Cicilline and Police Colonel Dean M. Esserman will announce the findings of a United States Justice Department’s investigation into patterns and practices at the Providence Police Department at a news conference on Thursday, April 3 at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium at the Public Safety Complex, 325 Washington Street.

 

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division began an investigation into the PPD in 2002 based on allegations of excessive force and discriminatory police practices. City Council President Peter Mancini, NAACP President Cliff Monteiro, Urban League of RI President Dennis Langley, U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente, Attorney General Patrick Lynch, State Police Colonel Brendan Doherty, Fraternal Order of Police President Kenneth Cohen, and FBI agents Jeffrey Sallet and Joan Buckley are among those attending the news conference.

Linda Borg's recent ProJo story, enumerating the reasons for Superintendent Donnie Evans's impending departure, told us a lot about the state of the Providence schools:

Mary Sylvia Harrison, executive director of the College Crusade of Rhode Island, worries that the change in leadership will further disrupt a district already roiled by stalled contract negotiations and successive years of budget cuts. When a leader leaves, institutional memory is lost, she said. Projects get delayed while everyone waits for a new superintendent.

“Old beliefs and attitudes resurface and cynicism begins to run rampant,” Harrison wrote in a letter to Cicilline last week. “If we remove Donnie or fix the ‘leadership’ problem, we are still left with the other parts of our school community that also need fixing. If Donnie is the problem, he isn’t the biggest or the only big problem we have and no new superintendent will be a panacea.”

While Harrison didn’t name names, she said that the Providence schools are controlled by a unique culture, one that she calls “potent, formidable and toxic.”

Now comes the word, via BeloBlog, that Tom Brady, interim superintendent in Philadelphia, has gotten the nod as Evans's successor.

Brady, 57, is a retired Army colonel with more than seven years experience in school administration, including top positions with the Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Va., school systems.

Brady spent 25 years in the Army, landing his first school administrative school position in 1999 in Fairfax County. He is married with five grown children and five grandchildren.

Brady will take over the state's largest school system, whose officials say is teetering on the edge of a financial crisis.

At a meeting last night, the district's financial officer Mark Dunham said that the $322.9 million proposed budget for 2008-9 includes a shortfall of $9.7 million -- which Dunham said he did not know how would be made up.

It's probably the understatement of the year to note that improving Providence's schools is a formidable challenge -- a vital one for the future of the state. Brady will need all the help he can get.

Who knows the exact reason why Donnie Evans has decided not to seek another term as school superintendent in Providence. The bottom line is that Providence students are the big losers of this continued turnover in the top position.

When Evans came in, he was supposed to represent an end to the revolving doors represented by his predecessors, Diana Lam and Melody Johnson. Perhaps, as some city councilors believe, he was not the best person to run the school system. Yet he reportedly faced a hostile reception from a number of councilors even before his MIA performance during the December 13 snow debacle.

Dan Barbarisi and Linda Borg report on the story today:

Evans offered little insight into the reasons for his departure, saying in his resignation letter that he was leaving for “personal and professional reasons to pursue other opportunities.”

“My decision to leave was not made lightly. I want you, as well as every employee, student, and family in this district to know that my experience in Providence has been both rewarding and challenging,” Evans wrote to the School Board. He did not return calls seeking comment last night.

We don't want to diss Local 121's Lara, since she pours a mean drink and is reputedly running hot and heavy to be best bartender in the Phoenix's Best issue, but the mixologist is a bit behind the times in insisting that myspace.com is still the social-networking place to be.

David N. Cicilline and his media-savvy coeterie of advisers know this, and that's why the Providence mayor is up with his own bit on Facebook, sharing for all the word his love of his Harley and David McCullough's John Adams (don't forget to tune in on HBO tomorrow night, btw).

Also in today's ProJo is a short unbylined piece describing how Providence Parks' czarina Alix Ogden has gotten the nod as David Cicilline's Operations' chief. This is no small news, since her brief will certainly include preventing a reoccurence of anything resembling the December 13 snow mess. Like I've noted before, the departure of hands-on types, such as Mike Mello and Carol Grant, worsened the city's handling of that event.

In responding to recent criticism from Deb Brayton, Providence Mayor David Cicilline's chief of staff, Channel 6 is inviting Police Chief Dean Esserman to take part in a lengthier discussion of crime statistics in Providence:

Dear Ms. Brayton:

 

Thank you for your letter dated February 28th, 2008.

 

I respect your opinion about the story we aired on February 26th, concerning the City of Providence’s crime statistics. However, I respectfully disagree with your conclusion that “this story falls far short of the journalistic standards that this community expects”.

 

There is no more qualified and respected journalist in the City of Providence who understands journalistic standards than Jim Hummel.

 

You should be aware that Mr. Hummel is one of the most respected and honored journalists in the market. He’s reported a combined 26 years for both the Providence Journal and ABC-6. He has also received numerous awards for Excellence in Journalism including the prestigious 2007 Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting.

 

In your letter, you use the phrase “Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out of the story” on eight different occasions. Mr. Hummel didn’t choose to deliberately leave out anything. I am ultimately responsible for making final decisions on the contents of a story. It was MY decision to focus the story on one singular point: “Are crime stats manipulated to bolster the City of Providence’s image”? The statistics are especially important to the city and its leaders. In your words, “The subject of crime affects everyone in the community: residents, business owners, tourist and prospective investors”. I focused the story on that topic. I believe we presented a fair and balanced story. Additionally, the men and women of the Providence Police Department are the source of this story, not victims.

 

Again, I respect your viewpoint and appreciate your passion in defending the City of Providence and the management of the Police Department. In that spirit, I would like to extend an invitation to Chief Esserman to join Mr. Hummel in a live and unedited interview concerning the premise of our story. I’m sure we can work out a date and show-time in the near future to accommodate this request.

 

Sincerely,

 

Regent Ducas

News Director-WLNE/ABC6

Writing in 2004 about how David Segal and Miguel Luna found it tougher than expected to enact a progressive agenda with David Cicilline in City Hall, I noted the rise of a new force in city government:

THIS IS ANOTHER bone of contention for local progressives. Even though Cicilline has brought more diversity to the city workforce, and appointed boards and commissions, the upper hierarchy of his administration (chief of staff Mike Mello; director of administration John Simmons; police chief Dean Esserman; school superintendent Melody Johnson; director of operations Carol Grant; and policy chief Carolyn Benedict-Drew, to name six key players) is mostly white and heavy on people who live on the East Side. To some, the triumph of the "Sixers" (a reference to the 02906 zip code) marks a conflict with the kind of democratic spirit that Cicilline embodied, particularly on the city’s heavily Latino South Side, during his insurgent 2002 primary campaign.

The mayor, who could give Buddy Cianci a run for his money in his dynamism in painting an upbeat picture, hails his as "the most diverse administration in the history of this city. Of people who I have direct responsibility to hire, 65 percent are women or minorities." Such genuine accomplishments aside, though, it’s hard to entirely take Cicilline at face value when he says, "The kind of concentration of power you describe [with the core administrators] is not really the concentration of power in this administration. That’s a much broader group."

Making me somewhat prescient, Dan Barbarisi today reports on the preponderance of East Siders among the mayor's appointees:

PROVIDENCE — 02906. Covering most of the East Side, it’s long been known as Providence’s 90210 — the wealthiest and most prominent Zip Code in town.

Under the administration of Mayor David N. Cicilline, the three wards of the East Side are also wielding the most power on the city’s boards and commissions. In the five years since Cicilline took office, more than half of the 248 appointments he has made came from the East Side wards.

By far, the most come from Cicilline’s home ward, Ward 2. Between first-time appointments and reappointments, 34 percent of Cicilline’s appointments — 87 people — make Ward 2 their home, according to numbers developed by the City Council office. When Wards 1 and 3 are added, the total from the East Side comes to 130 appointments, more than half the total appointments Cicilline has made during his mayoralty.

When presented with the figures, the dominance of his home ward surprised the mayor.

“I have to confess that learning the numbers are that high from Ward 2 is surprising to me. That means we have to work extra hard to make sure other wards are as well represented,” Cicilline said.

Cicilline said that he is familiar with people from his home ward, of course, but he couldn’t fully explain why Ward 2 would be so overrepresented among the city’s 15 wards.

“It’s hard to know. I’m not sure why it is. There are a number of people obviously from Ward 2 that I know, there are some people from Ward 2 who are new appointments, there are some who are reappointments. It’s probably a combination of those things."

Proponents of maximizing public access to the waterfront around India Point Park in Providence are concerned about a City Hall meeting tonight (6 pm, council chambers) that could result in the rezoning of a key parcel in the area.

David P. Riley writes via e-mail:

The RI Transportation Dept. (RIDOT) is planning to sell the Shooters parcel -- right next to India Point Park  -- to the highest bidder with no restrictions.

 

 At today's hearing, supporters of the Park will urge RIDOT to delay the sale until AFTER the planning process is completed. It would be tragic for the park, the city, and the state to rush into the permanent sale of one of the state's key assets, which could be a public gateway to the Bay providing significant long-term economic and civic benefits for the region.

In a letter to Mayor Cicilline, Thom Deller, and Councilors Wood and Yurdin, Jef Nickerson, president of Greater City: Providence, writes:

I am writing on behalf of Greater City: Providence in regards to the petition being heard by the City Council Ordinance Committee on Monday, March 3rd to change the zoning of Lots 344 and 345 on Zoning Map 18 from Waterfront Mixed-Use to Public Space. These state-owned lots are located on the waterfront at Fox’s Point next to India Point Park. We submit that it is premature to consider any ad-hoc zoning changes to these waterfront lots until the highest and best use of the entire Providence waterfront is decided in a charrette format.

 

Please consider the following:

 

The aforementioned lots are part of the moratorium area established by City Council Resolution 385, approved July 10, 2007. It declares that a moratorium will be placed on any development plans, construction, or demolition permits that do not comply with the adopted Zoning Ordinance in effect as of the date of the resolution’s adoption. Any development as a result of the zoning change would not be effective due to the stipulations of the resolution until its expiration which is currently, at the latest, July 10, 2008. .... 

 

Further, we understand that these parcels are currently owned by the state through RIDOT and that the state is facing a (to put it lightly) tough economic year. This economic stress is surely putting great pressure on the state to sell this property. We urge the Mayor and the City Council to work with the state to attempt to find a way to transfer this land to the city, of course understanding that the city’s economic situation is not any better than the state’s this year. Allowing the city to control this land and become the eventual developer of this land would ensure that the public’s wishes as set forth by the charrette process would be fulfilled.

As part of the continuing clash this week between Channel 6 and the City Hall of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, WLNE-TV plans to do a story today at 4 and 6, reporting on the letter sent by chief of staff Deb Brayton in response to Jim Hummel's questioning of crime stats compiled by the Providence police.

I talked to Hummel, and he declined to comment on the controversy.

Cicilline, during a taping this morning of Newsmakers, was asked by Steve Aveson whether there should be a review of the PPD's crime data. The mayor responded by repeating many of the points argued in Brayton's letter.

Cicilline had been scheduled to be on Newsmakers a few weeks back, but he rescheduled due to a conflict. He is also slated to appear this weekend on WJAR-TV's 10 News Conference.

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline has remained a loyal soldier for Hillary Clinton. He stuck with her when he had to give up his chairmanship of her Rhode Island campaign. And although he was upset and reconsidered his support when he was told not to attend her Providence fundraiser last weekend, Cicilline was successfully cajoled to come back into the fold. It's enough to make one wonder whether Cicilline would vote for someone else in the privacy of the voting booth on Tuesday.

I asked the mayor about this when he took part in a taping of Newsmakers, which will be broadcast Sunday, at 5:30 am on WPRI and at 10 am on Fox 64. (Obama's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, makes a separate appearance).

Cicilline told me that he intends to vote for Clinton.

Here's the text of a letter sent by City Hall in response to Jim Hummel's Tuesday night report on crime stats in Providence:

February 28, 2008

 

Regent Ducas

News Director

ABC6 WLNE

10 Orms St.

Providence, RI 02904

 

 

Dear Mr. Ducas,

 

I am writing with regard to your February 26, 2008 story about Providence crime statistics as reported by Jim Hummel. I believe it displayed a serious breach of journalistic standards for broadcast news. Very serious accusations were made that undermine the integrity of the men and women of the Providence Police Department. Below are the assertions made in the story, and the reasons why they did not meet the standard.

 

1. Assertion that Providence’s drop in crime is exaggerated

 

Mr. Hummel claims to “cast doubt” that crime is down 30% since 2002 in Providence, but never presented evidence to the contrary. The reporting did not dispute that there were 4,218 fewer incidents of Part I crime in 2007 than in 2002. It only addressed the classification of crime.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out, statistics that show a steep drop in crime where a change in classification is impossible – the murder rate and the victim of gunshot rate. From 2002 to 2007, murders dropped 39%. Gunshot victims dropped 45%. 

 

2. Assertion that the Providence Police “downgrade” crimes

 

The Providence Police are devoted to total accuracy in crime reporting and welcome any fair and thoughtful review. Accurate crime data is one of the chief reasons behind the success of the Providence Police. It determines crime prevention strategies. It is critical to knowing exactly where, when, and what kinds of crime have taken place.

 

Mr. Hummel made an insinuation about a department-wide conspiracy based on three incidents (there were roughly 9,821 Part I crime incidents last year). The allegations came from anonymous sources and one former union president, who had made discredited claims against Department leadership in the past.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out of the story, the system for reviewing crime classification. Command staff and Lieutenants review classifications in a setting that includes community partners and law enforcement partners.

 

Regularly present at these meetings are the U.S. Attorney, members of the Office of the Attorney General, and FBI officers. Instead Mr. Hummel reported a second-hand rumor about a meeting, and did not report that the PPD contradicts the account.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out, dozens of crimes that were “upgraded” in the process of review, including specific cases to which he was given access.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out of the story, that after a similar allegation made by two members of the Providence City Council, the PPD asked for a review by the State Police. The State Police review found the data to be accurate.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out, the broader context of the three incident reports used in his story.

• One incident involved two well-acquainted individuals who were known drug users and were arguing over $5 worth of crack cocaine. One had a closed pocket knife but was not holding it in a threatening manner. When the officer broke up the altercation, both asked the officer not to press charges. The officer decided to make an arrest under disorderly conduct charges. Mr. Hummel claims that this should have been classified as assault with a dangerous weapon.

• Another incident involved an individual who offered six different versions of a story about a phone being stolen from his vehicle. It was ultimately classified as “person annoyed.” Mr. Hummel believed it should have been differently classified.

• The third incident involved two victims of an attack, who, when questioned, asked that no charges be brought. The officer pushed for a charge. It was ultimately classified as a simple assault.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out, that the same sources of many of these allegations also told Mr. Hummel that they “knew about parking ticket fixing” by the Chief of Police.  The Chief presented Mr. Hummel with evidence to completely discredit the source’s allegations. Mr. Hummel still based his story on their other allegations.

 

Mr. Hummel knew, but deliberately chose to leave out, that his single on-the-record source, Robert Paniccia is the former head of the Fraternal Order of Police Union. Mr. Hummel deliberately chose to leave out that Paniccia had a highly adversarial relationship with the Department over many issues.

 

Mr. Hummel deliberately chose to leave out that Mr. Paniccia had falsely claimed that PPD leadership planted a surveillance device in a patrol office in the highly publicized “blinky light” incident.

 

I think you will agree that this story falls far short of the journalistic standards that this community expects. The subject of crime affects everyone in our community: residents, business owners, tourists and prospective investors. I hope you will take appropriate action, including a sincere, on-air apology to the men and women of the Providence Police Department.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Deborah Brayton

Chief of Staff

Office of Mayor David N. Cicilline

 

 

Cc:  Stephen Doerr, Vice President & General Manager, ABC6

      Kevin O’Brien, Owner, Global Broadcasting, LLC

      Robinson Ewert, Owner, Global Broadcasting, LLC

Last night, Channel 6 featured the second installment of Jim Hummel's look at the Providence Police Department, focusing this time of the salary and benefits of Police Chief Dean Esserman. Co-anchor Allison Alexander, in introducing the piece, said she thought a lot of people would be surprised by the information, but, as Matt pointed out yesterday, much of this was reported more than four years ago by Amanda Milkovits in the ProJo:

After a three-hour meeting with Esserman, Cicilline decided he'd found his next chief. He was going to use all he had to get Esserman here.

Cicilline arranged meetings with the state's top law enforcement players. He assured Esserman City Hall wouldn't interfere with the Police Department. He offered a four-year contract, starting at $138,000 (about $50,000 more than previous chiefs made) with $5,000 annual raises. Plus, inclusion in the city pension, which takes 10 years to be fully vested, and a portable pension.

The city would pay travel and living expenses for the first six months. Esserman bought a half-million dollar home on the East Side, and was reimbursed for $5,300 travel and moving expenses and $3,700 closing and house- inspection costs. He was also permitted to bill the city for his outside expenses as chief.

Cicilline also got Esserman a spot as senior law enforcement executive in residence at the Roger Williams University Justice System Training and Research Institute for $30,000 a year. The position in the university's School of Justice Studies is funded by a private grant.

Personally, I think the important question is not so much one of Esserman's pay and benefits, but whether hiring him was a smart decision, and whether he has succeed edin significantly improving what had been a very troubled police department. The answer to those two questions, IMHO, is "Yes."

For a sense of where things were  in 2001, consider this:

Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse is among those who have pressured [Buddy] Cianci to consider outside candidates for the permanent chief's job. "Somebody who is inside the department, as long as they bring an outsider's independence and judgment, can do a good job and will have the additional advantage of knowing the personal and administrative terrain," Whitehouse says. But that's clearly a pretty difficult standard to meet, and, as the prosecutor says, "I think it will get worse before it gets better as the Justice Department inquiry, Plunder Dome, and all those things go forward."

In looking at the best and worst of David Cicilline in 2006, I wrote:

Not that long ago, the Providence Police Department was caught in a dysfunctional cycle that ill-served residents, particularly in poor parts of town, and reflected badly on the department itself. Cicilline moved quickly to make a firm break with the past by choosing Dean Esserman, the kind of outsider needed to bring long-overdue change, as the department’s new chief.

Activists credit Esserman and his emphasis on community policing with dramatically improving how the city and the police are perceived on Providence’s South Side. There remains room for improvement in getting more officers to embrace the spirit of community policing. But one observer goes so far as to say that Esserman’s lack of tolerance for abuse, as well as a number of retirements within the department, have transformed what had been one of the bigger scars in the city into a badge of honor.

Esserman can be short-tempered with the media, a trait that has not endeared him to some. Some cops might not like him because of his untraditional background, or because he changed the status quo. Such things are less important than his achievements in Providence.

Bob Walsh has an acute political sense, so I think he knows about what he speaks, in making this response on Matt's blog yesterday.

Referendum

If the next election for Mayor of Providence turns into a referendum on the police chief, the candidate who vows to keep Chief Esserman in place wins.  It really is as simple as that.

---

by: Bob Walsh @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 21:23:39 PM CST

It has become an article of faith for critics of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline that the Providence Police Department is artificially lowering its crime statistics. Some city councilors have groused about this issue, and WLNE-TV's Jim Hummel last night took a crack at the story. You can find a link to view his report here.

As Hummel notes, Cicilline and Police Chief Dean Esserman have steadily touted declines in crime in recent years, in contrast to trends in other cities. Could this news be too good to be true? It's possible. Viewers of The Wire, created by David Simon, an ace former cop reporter at the Baltimore Sun, are familiar with the machinations used by departmental brass in that show to juice crime stats.

Hummel, who says in his report that he looked "at dozens of incidents," describes three cases that appear to have been undercharged, including the three-year-old assault in downtown Providence on then-Cariceri chief of staff Jeff Grybowski and Jeff Britt. He cites "disturbing trends in crime reporting." Robert Paniccia, the retired head of the FOP, is the only on-the-record source who backs the underreporting theory, although Hummel asserts that in talking to people in the AG's office and the state police, "The word is the same: Providence is not being straight with the numbers." 

Cicilline and Esserman, in interviews with Hummel, basically stand by their existing positions.

In my view, the Channel 6 newsman's report amounts to a case of he said/he said. In introducing the spot, Hummel acknowledges that the answer to the question of whether Providence is playing with its crime stats "depends on who you ask."

Bottom line: It would require a more extensive investigation -- which would be incredibly time-consuming -- to offer a definitive answer to the provocative question raised in his report.

Let's acknowledge a few points:

-- Esserman, because of his volatile personality (which is not that unusual for a police chief), can be his own worst enemy. Yet he has also succeed in significantly improving what had been a highly dysfunctional and behind-the-times police department.  It's no surprise that Buddy Cianci is embracing Hummel's report. But let's remember that in 1999, when community policing had become a widely accepted practice in American police departments, integrating it in Providence remained an odd struggle.

-- Police union officials might indeed have legitimate gripes, but a current or retired FOP official speaking critically of a police chief is about as natural as a dog chasing a cat.

-- Hummel's story, while not exactly the "explosive" report described this morning on WPRO-AM by Cianci, has succeeded in creating some buzz, both within the police department and for Channel 6.

As I wrote last week, the Clinton campaign botched it by alienating David Cicilline.

The mayor's in a difficult position, as Buddy Cianci pointed out today, since his headache with the firefighters will come with him if he were to throw his support to Obama.

Meanwhile, Scott MacKay reports today that Jack McConnell, treasurer of the RI Democratic Party, and someone close to Cicilline, stayed away from Clinton's Providence fundraiser yesterday ($100,000 raised) because of his pique over Cicilline having been disinvited.

McConnell is a bigfoot in RI, so this is not a good way to make friends and influence people amid a tight campaign.

Btw, speaking this morning on his show, John DePetro wondered why Elizabeth Roberts, considering her liberal profile, isn't with Obama. Might the answer be summed up in two letters (EL)?

WPRI-TV's Tim White scored an exclusive (for local TV) interview with Hillary Clinton following her appearance at RIC today. Clinton also talked with Mark Arsenault from the ProJo and someone from CNN.

White tells me that Clinton's local team reached out to him yesterday about the interview, citing his reporting on the flap in which her campaign told Providence Mayor David Cicilline not to attend today's rally. White, having a genetically instilled BS detector, suspects that he was chosen for the special treatment since his employer encompasses two stations, WPRI (Channel 12) and Fox 64. While the decision didn't please WJAR's Bill Rappleye, it marked a coup for White (disclosure: White is a friend, and I'm an unpaid weekly panelist on WPRI/WNAC-TV's Newsmakers).

Anyway, you can watch the five-plus minutes of one-on-one interview footage (second selection, under "Top story videos" on WPRI's Web site.

To me, the most interesting thing is the plastic speak offered by Clinton in response to White's questions about Cicilline. She might be presenting a more feisty persona on the campaign trail, but this stuff is typical evasive boilerplate. The questions below are my paraphrases of the original.

What's your reaction to the mayor reconsidering his support?

Well, Mayor Cicilline is a friend of mine. He has been a longtime supporter whom I value, and I appreciate that support. He and I talked just yesterday. And I know how much he loves and is committed to the city, so I'm looking forward to seeing him sometime in the very near future.

What was the conversation about, and were you able to secure his support?

We just talked on a personal basis. We just talked about our long friendship and our support for one another, and how both of us are committed to doing what we can, he for the city and I for our country. And we hope to be able to work together to make the changes that we know are necessary.

Providence Mayor David Cicilline has got to be really pissed with the Clinton campaign to make this kind of statement, following his being banned from her event this weekend:

Cicilline said he will stay away on Sunday, but this may cause him to question his support for the New York senator, who he has stumped for locally and in New Hampshire during that state’s primary.

“It’s obviously something for me to think about very carefully, because I am very disappointed in the decision of the Clinton campaign. I’m not prepared to say more than that today. I obviously have tremendous respect for Senator Clinton, but I’m very disappointed in the decision of her campaign today,” Cicilline said.

Take-aways from this:

-- If it wasn't already abundantly clear, the Cicilline-firefighters hatefest will remain an issue should he indeed run for governor, with Cicilline touting his stand against the union, and the firefighters excoriating Cicilline at every chance. During a taping of Newsmakers today, Arlene Violet wondered aloud: if Rhode Island has some of the highest firefighting costs in the nation, why isn't Cicilline hitting on that as part of his message?

-- The Clinton campaign totally botched this. Considering how Cicilline stepped down as chair of her RI campaign for similar reasons, he was more than willing to be a good soldier. Yet the Hillary forces have succeeded in alienating him, continuing some of the campaign's self-inflicted blows. The New York Times has a front-pager today on campaign spending, a different facet of how Clinton has hurt herself.

I've run into Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline twice in the last week, and he's seemed his usual public self, talking up Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, among other things. Yet as the mayor prepares to deliver his latest State of the City speech tonight, at 7 at the Rhode Island Convention Center, Cicilline could be excused if he's a tad wistful for some earlier points in his administration.

Most notably, the weak response to the December snow storm delivered a sharp blow to the mayor's previously high favorability rating. While the departure of operations-types like Mike Mello and Carol Grant likely played a role, Cicilline is the one who faces the fallout. Snow happens to be in the forecast for tonight.

Assuming the city can avoid a repeat of December's mess, Cicilline's approval rating may well rebound in the future. Yet as the mayor waits to pull the final trigger on a gubernatorial run for 2010, a number of things add up to a less congenial environment for him:

-- Buddy Cianci has his City Hall in exile at WPRO-AM, offering a conduit for criticism of the incumbent, and Buddy remains buddy-buddy with former foe Joseph R. Paolino Jr., as seen by their recent publication of a PBN op-ed.

-- The forthcoming trial of the mayor's brother.

-- Stepped-up criticism from opponents on the city council, and jockeying by prospective mayoral candidates.

-- An effective decrease in local aid from the state.

-- The departure of experienced staffers, for other opportunities, or in anticipation of a change in administration.

 -- This seems less consequential, yet Patrick Lynch has differentiated himself from other gubernatorial hopefuls by endorsing Obama.

Those who've followed the controversies involving the Providence Public Library in recent years may be interested in this event tonight, sponsored by the Library Reform Group, at Knight Memorial Library, 275 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, from 6-7:30 PM.

Two noted library directors will participate in a public forum at Knight Memorial Library entitled “How Libraries Raise Money.” They will discuss the development strategies they have used and reflect upon what has worked and what hasn’t and why. Their experiences and insights will provide an invaluable perspective as Providence city officials, PPL trustees and library supporters consider PPL’s future options. 

 

Director Kathryn Taylor has led Westerly Public Library for the past ten years, after nearly twenty years as Littleton NH public library director where she earned that library an "Excellence in Rural Libraries Award." Since becoming WPL director, Ms. Taylor has increased the library’s visibility in the community, thereby increasing public support for fund-raising as well.  

 

The Westerly Public Library has one of the highest circulation figures in the state of Rhode Island and it is currently in the midst of a multi-million dollar capital campaign to raise money for space reallocation in the library and renovations to the adjoining Wilcox Park.  With strong support from surrounding communities, committed public officials and an impressive number of library advocates, the fund-raising campaign is making so much progress that it has been highlighted by Act for Libraries. 

 

Having spent many years as a librarian in affluent suburbs, Louise Blalock took on the challenges of heading a large urban library system in a city confronting economic distress when she became chief librarian of the Hartford Public Library in 1994. Her achievements at HPL have resulted in her selection as Librarian of the Year by the Library Journal in 2001. 

 

Hartford Mayor Michael Peters has asserted that she “created a new, modern, urban model focused on the diverse needs of the many cultures that represent our city and has forged strong partnerships with the schools and neighborhoods.” Paul Shipman of the HPL board has been equally impressed with her achievements, noting that “while difficult economic times in the 1990s could have resulted in belt-tightening at the library, [she] galvanized government and public support [and] not only preserved all nine branches but succeeded in starting a multimillion-dollar campaign to upgrade several branches and nearly double the size of the Central Library.”

 

Both Kathryn Taylor and Louise Blalock have undertaken a variety of successful fundraising campaigns, using diverse approaches and tactics and enlisting the aid of public officials, library patrons, donors, board members, and corporate sponsors. They have also learned to be realistic, to be aware that some efforts are likely to be more effective than others, to understand that sometimes libraries can’t raise enough money to support all the programs, services and building upgrades they might wish for--but also to know that one mustn't aim too low, either.

Over at Anchor, Marc seems to have been first with the news that