David Cicilline
Encyclopedia
David Nicola Cicilline is the U.S. Representative
for . He is a member of the Democratic Party
. He is formerly the Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
, and was the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. state capital.
, and Italian American
father, John F. "Jack" Cicilline. His father is a prominent attorney in Providence who defended local Mafia
figures in the 1970s and 1980s and was an aide to Mayor Joseph A. Doorley.
He was raised in Providence before moving to Narragansett
. In high school, he served as president of his graduating class before heading to Brown University
, where he established a branch of the College Democrats
with his classmate, John F. Kennedy Jr. He took a degree in political science, graduating magna cum laude in 1983. He then went to Georgetown University Law Center
where he earned a J.D.
, remaining in Washington, D.C.
for a while to work for the Public Defender Service.
in 1992 against incumbent senator Rhoda Perry
but lost the Democratic primary. Two years later, he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives
, representing the 4th district on Providence's East Side. He won the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Linda J. Kushner with 56% of the vote and was unopposed in the general election. He took office in January 1995 and served a total of four terms in the legislature, during which time he came out
as a gay man.
and the aftermath of Operation Plunder Dome
. He succeeded acting mayor John J. Lombardi, who served out Cianci's term and decided not to run in the following election. In 2006, Cicilline won an easy re-election with 83 percent of the vote. Brown University's survey in September 2007 found that 64 percent of state residents approved of the job Cicilline was doing in Providence. By February 2008, that number had dropped to 51 percent. And in September 2008, his popularity fell to 46 percent.
. As mayor, Cicilline is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston
Mayor Thomas Menino
and New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
.
In May 2009, Cicilline gained national headlines after proposing a $150 per semester Head Tax on each of the 25,000 college students attending four universities in the city. The tax was an effort to close $6 to $8 million of a reported $17 million dollar city budget shortfall. The associated press reported that if enacted, it would become the first-in-the-nation tax on students simply for being enrolled and attending college within the city limits.
Cicilline has expressed concern for the Providence metropolitan area
's carbon footprint
. As mayor, he sought to implement a streetcar/light rail
-type system for the city. He also focused efforts to fight poverty. He won passage of a vacant-and-abandoned property penalty, to provide an economic disincentive for banks to hold properties out of the housing market for extended periods of time. He also proposed municipal bonds for the purpose of buying foreclosed properties to expand housing.
Cicilline is a strong proponent of after-school activities
as a means of improving opportunities for children. As mayor, Cicilline served as Chair of the Standing Committee for Children, Health and Human Services of the United States Conference of Mayors
. He has also been recognized for his efforts to establish youth programming and to strengthen ties among schools, businesses and local government, in order to expand access to after-school programming. Under Cicilline, city officials worked with Rhode Island’s Education Partnership to form PASA, the Providence After School Alliance. Cicilline also serves on the board of the national nonprofit Afterschool Alliance
, an organization that works to promote and to support after-school activities for all children.
Between 1980 and 2009, most prostitution was legal in Rhode Island. As mayor, Cicilline was a strong advocate for outlawing it. Cicilline personally testified in Superior Court to stop the opening of "spas" in Providence, and discussed his position in the 2009 documentary Happy Endings?
.
He lobbied for a prostitution law not only to arrest the women and the "johns", but also to fine landlords that permitted this activity on their premises. On September 2, 2009, Cicilline submitted an ordinance to the City Council to ban indoor prostitution in the city, imposing a $500 fine and a potential 30-day prison sentence on violators. On November 3, 2009, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri
signed into law a bill making the buying and selling of sexual services a crime. (See also: Prostitution in Rhode Island
)
During the 2008 Democratic primaries, Cicilline supported Hillary Clinton. In August 2008, he attended the Democratic National Convention
in Denver
. While there, he told an interviewer that he now supported Barack Obama
, saying "[t]here is a real sense of hope and optimism about what we're about to do and about a chance in leadership in this country."
who had been arrested twice the previous year while under a deportation order, was charged in the robbery and rape of a 30-year-old woman. A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent criticized the Providence Police Department for not checking Riz's immigration status when they arrested him previously. Governor of Rhode Island, Donald Carcieri
blamed Cicilline for the Department's failure. Previously, Carcieri had signed an executive order requiring all state officials to work with ICE on arrests or hirings of illegal immigrants. When Carcieri asked the same of local agents, Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman refused. Cicilline responded that it has been the policy of the Police Department to work with ICE and its database for all arrests, that the policy was followed when Riz was arrested, and that ICE failed to act.
On July 8, 2008, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri claimed that Cicilline was not upholding his oath of office by failing to report illegal immigrants, suggesting the U.S. Attorney investigate the mayor. Mayor Cicilline responded by accusing Carcieri of "playing politics", eight days later writing an op-ed in the Providence Journal
stating that the city always has and will continue to report all arrests to immigration authorities, and that the focus is therefore inappropriate. Carcieri is term-limited and was prevented from running for a third term in 2010.
In 2004, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards canceled a fundraising appearance in Providence in support of the Local 799. In 2007, Hillary Clinton asked Cicilline, a Clinton supporter, not to attend a Clinton rally because of threats by the union to picket the appearance.
Both the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have censured Cicilline for his role in the issue.
In 2009, due to the union's picket, the Obama administration canceled Joe Biden
's appearance at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Providence in the interests of remaining neutral in the conflict.
Before reporting to prison, John M. Cicilline gave the city of Providence a $75,000 check for taxes owed by a client, but asked that the check not be cashed and only held as collateral. Two of the mayor’s top aides told the city tax collector Robert Ceprano, not to cash a check sent by the mayor’s brother, a lawyer, on behalf of a delinquent taxpayer because it would bounce. In four instances, the tax collector says, aides pressured him to perform tax favors for the mayor’s friends and/or campaign contributors. The mayor says the taxpayers got relief because they or the city made a tax mistake — not because they are friends or contributors. Amid the controversy the tax collector Robert Ceprano was fired
On May 10, 2009 Robert Ceprano filed a lawsuit against the City of Providence alleging conspiracy, corruption, libel and wrongful termination. The suit accuses John M. Cicilline, the mayor’s imprisoned brother, of attempting to defraud the City of Providence by writing a bad check for $75,000 on behalf of a delinquent taxpayer. Furthermore, it alleges, the mayor and his aides “willfully conspired … to conceal John Cicilline’s illegal activities.” Ceprano also charges that he was fired not for poor job performance, but because he resisted the mayor’s efforts to perform tax favors for political friends and supporters. Lawyers for Ceprano are asking for ten million dollars.
The single count complaint against John Cicilline was dismissed by Judge Kristin Rodgers on November 17, 2009.
which is being vacated by fellow Democrat Patrick J. Kennedy
. In the Democratic primary held on September 14, Cicilline defeated three opponents and won the party's nomination. He faced Republican John Loughlin.
Cicilline won the race with 81,098 votes to Loughlin's 71,443 and represents Rhode Island in the 112th Congress.
, voting to limit the use of funds supporting NATO operations in Libya and to remove armed forces from Libya in June 2011. On a domestic level, his anti-war policies translate to a strong advocacy against gun use, as he is a founding member of the bipartisan coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In 2010, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
endorsed Cicilline while in 2000, the National Rifle Association
awarded him an F- lifetime score. Cicilline has also indicated his support to ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons, to increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms, and to require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms. On November 16, 2011, Cicilline made a powerful public statement against the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act which would “require all states to allow out-of-state visitors to carry concealed firearms as long as the laws of the visitors' home states allow them to do so.” He insisted that the bill does not pertain at all to the Second Amendment
, infringes upon the rights of State governments to protect the safety of their citizens, and forces communities to accept concealed-carry standards set by other states instead of responding to their own unique needs.
Cicilline holds a pro-choice viewpoint on abortion, advocating that abortions should always be legally available and that government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services. In response to the Protect Life Act
of October 2011, which bans the use of federal funds to cover any costs of health care plans that cover abortions and would allow federally-funded hospitals that oppose abortions to refuse to perform the procedure (even in cases where a woman would die without it), Cicilline stated that it would endanger the lives of women and limit “how women can spend their own private dollars to purchase health insurance,” declaring the bill “outrageous.” He also voted against prohibiting the use of federal funds for Planned Parenthood
in February 2011 and against prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion in May 2011. On a related note, Cicilline has cosponsored the Violence Against Women Health Initiative Act of 2011 to “improve the health care system's assessment and response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and for other purposes.”
Cicilline actively supports veterans, ensuring that they “have access to a range of resources in health care, housing, employment, mental health services, and education.” He has cosponsored the Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act to aid veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder , the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act to permit disabled veterans to receive both retired pay and veterans disability compensation , and the Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2011 to extend work opportunities to recently discharged veterans . On November 18, 2011, Cicilline offered his support of the Vow Hire Heroes Act, which increases job opportunities for veterans, with this press release: "This vote ensures that Rhode Island veterans and all of our nation's veterans will receive some of the tools and resources they need to successfully reenter the workforce and provide for their families and loved ones.”
Mayor
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for . He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He is formerly the Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, and was the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. state capital.
Early life, education, and career
Cicilline was born July 15, 1961 in Providence to a Jewish mother, SabraSabra (person)
Sabra is a term used to describe a Jew born in Israeli territory; the term is also usually inclusive of Jews born during the period of the establishment of the state of Israel. The word "sabra" is Arabic and Hebrew. Immigrants to Palestine began using it in the early 1930s, according to the The...
, and Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
father, John F. "Jack" Cicilline. His father is a prominent attorney in Providence who defended local Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
figures in the 1970s and 1980s and was an aide to Mayor Joseph A. Doorley.
He was raised in Providence before moving to Narragansett
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 15,868 at the 2010 census, but there is a greater population in the summer. The nickname for the town is "Gansett". The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank...
. In high school, he served as president of his graduating class before heading to Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, where he established a branch of the College Democrats
College Democrats
The College Democrats of America is the official youth outreach arm of the Democratic Party. It consists of over 100,000 college and university students from across the United States. The organization has served as a way for college students to connect with the Democratic Party and Democratic...
with his classmate, John F. Kennedy Jr. He took a degree in political science, graduating magna cum laude in 1983. He then went to Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
where he earned a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, remaining in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for a while to work for the Public Defender Service.
Early political career
Cicilline worked as a lawyer before running for the legislature. He ran for the Rhode Island SenateRhode Island Senate
The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of whom is elected to a two-year term. Rhode Island is one of the 14 states where its upper house serves at a two-year...
in 1992 against incumbent senator Rhoda Perry
Rhoda Perry
Rhoda Perry is a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate, representing the 3rd District . Perry is the chairwoman of Senate Committee on Health & Human Services and a member, Senate Committee on Judiciary.-Legislation:...
but lost the Democratic primary. Two years later, he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have...
, representing the 4th district on Providence's East Side. He won the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Linda J. Kushner with 56% of the vote and was unopposed in the general election. He took office in January 1995 and served a total of four terms in the legislature, during which time he came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a gay man.
Elections
Cicilline was elected in a landslide in November 2002 with 84% of the vote, following the downfall of controversial mayor Vincent CianciVincent Cianci
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002...
and the aftermath of Operation Plunder Dome
Operation Plunder Dome
Operation Plunder Dome was the codename of an undercover investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation into corruption within the government of the City of Providence, Rhode Island....
. He succeeded acting mayor John J. Lombardi, who served out Cianci's term and decided not to run in the following election. In 2006, Cicilline won an easy re-election with 83 percent of the vote. Brown University's survey in September 2007 found that 64 percent of state residents approved of the job Cicilline was doing in Providence. By February 2008, that number had dropped to 51 percent. And in September 2008, his popularity fell to 46 percent.
Accomplishments
Providence has experienced a significant drop in crime, attributed by some to community policing. As of 2007, Providence saw its lowest crime rate in 30 years, contrary to national trends. The city has eliminated 14 percent of management positions, dropped to 17th in the state for per-capita tax and received an "A" bond rating from all three major bond-rating agencies.Affiliations
He was 2008 President of the National Conference of Democratic MayorsNational Conference of Democratic Mayors
The National Conference of Democratic Mayors is the representative body of city mayors in the United States affiliated to the Democratic Party, in the same way that the Democratic Governors Association represents state governors within the party....
. As mayor, Cicilline is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a coalition of over 600 mayors who support a number of gun control initiatives that the group calls "commonsense reforms" to fight illegal gun trafficking and gun violence in the United States...
, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
Mayor Thomas Menino
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
.
Policies
Cicilline's administration has focused on the residential neighborhoods of Providence, as well as the "Renaissance" areas of downtown and Federal Hill that thrived under Cianci, and has continued the promotion of the city via the tax breaks given to artists and movie productions. A former state legislator, he was able to deal with the animosity with state government that existed under Cianci.In May 2009, Cicilline gained national headlines after proposing a $150 per semester Head Tax on each of the 25,000 college students attending four universities in the city. The tax was an effort to close $6 to $8 million of a reported $17 million dollar city budget shortfall. The associated press reported that if enacted, it would become the first-in-the-nation tax on students simply for being enrolled and attending college within the city limits.
Cicilline has expressed concern for the Providence metropolitan area
Providence metropolitan area
The Providence metropolitan area is a region covering six counties in two states, and is the 37th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Anchored by the city of Providence, Rhode Island, it has an estimated population of 1,622,520, exceeding that of Rhode Island by slightly over 60%. The...
's carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
. As mayor, he sought to implement a streetcar/light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
-type system for the city. He also focused efforts to fight poverty. He won passage of a vacant-and-abandoned property penalty, to provide an economic disincentive for banks to hold properties out of the housing market for extended periods of time. He also proposed municipal bonds for the purpose of buying foreclosed properties to expand housing.
Cicilline is a strong proponent of after-school activities
After-school activity
An after-school activity is any organized program which invites youth to participate outside of the traditional school day. Some programs are run by a primary or secondary school and some by externally funded non-profit or commercial organizations...
as a means of improving opportunities for children. As mayor, Cicilline served as Chair of the Standing Committee for Children, Health and Human Services of the United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as the United States Council of Mayors, is the official non-partisan organization for cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayor or other chief elected official...
. He has also been recognized for his efforts to establish youth programming and to strengthen ties among schools, businesses and local government, in order to expand access to after-school programming. Under Cicilline, city officials worked with Rhode Island’s Education Partnership to form PASA, the Providence After School Alliance. Cicilline also serves on the board of the national nonprofit Afterschool Alliance
Afterschool Alliance
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose mission is "to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs." It uses communications and advocacy strategies to try to increase public and private investments in afterschool programs...
, an organization that works to promote and to support after-school activities for all children.
Between 1980 and 2009, most prostitution was legal in Rhode Island. As mayor, Cicilline was a strong advocate for outlawing it. Cicilline personally testified in Superior Court to stop the opening of "spas" in Providence, and discussed his position in the 2009 documentary Happy Endings?
Happy Endings?
Happy Endings? is a 2009 cinema verite documentary film directed and produced by Tara Hurley.Filmed over 27 months, it chronicles the lives of the women in massage parlors in Rhode Island during a battle in the state legislature to make prostitution illegal...
.
He lobbied for a prostitution law not only to arrest the women and the "johns", but also to fine landlords that permitted this activity on their premises. On September 2, 2009, Cicilline submitted an ordinance to the City Council to ban indoor prostitution in the city, imposing a $500 fine and a potential 30-day prison sentence on violators. On November 3, 2009, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri
Donald Carcieri
Donald L. "Don" Carcieri was the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Carcieri has had a varied vocational background, having worked as a manufacturing company executive, aid relief worker, bank executive and teacher.-Personal background:...
signed into law a bill making the buying and selling of sexual services a crime. (See also: Prostitution in Rhode Island
Prostitution in Rhode Island
Prostitution in Rhode Island was outlawed in 2009. On November 3, 2009, Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law a bill which makes the buying and selling of sexual services a crime....
)
During the 2008 Democratic primaries, Cicilline supported Hillary Clinton. In August 2008, he attended the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. While there, he told an interviewer that he now supported Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, saying "[t]here is a real sense of hope and optimism about what we're about to do and about a chance in leadership in this country."
ICE controversy with Governor Carcieri
On June 8, 2008, Marco Riz, an illegal immigrant from GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
who had been arrested twice the previous year while under a deportation order, was charged in the robbery and rape of a 30-year-old woman. A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent criticized the Providence Police Department for not checking Riz's immigration status when they arrested him previously. Governor of Rhode Island, Donald Carcieri
Donald Carcieri
Donald L. "Don" Carcieri was the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Carcieri has had a varied vocational background, having worked as a manufacturing company executive, aid relief worker, bank executive and teacher.-Personal background:...
blamed Cicilline for the Department's failure. Previously, Carcieri had signed an executive order requiring all state officials to work with ICE on arrests or hirings of illegal immigrants. When Carcieri asked the same of local agents, Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman refused. Cicilline responded that it has been the policy of the Police Department to work with ICE and its database for all arrests, that the policy was followed when Riz was arrested, and that ICE failed to act.
On July 8, 2008, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri claimed that Cicilline was not upholding his oath of office by failing to report illegal immigrants, suggesting the U.S. Attorney investigate the mayor. Mayor Cicilline responded by accusing Carcieri of "playing politics", eight days later writing an op-ed in the Providence Journal
The Providence Journal
The Providence Journal, nicknamed the ProJo, is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper, first published in 1829 and the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the United States, was purchased...
stating that the city always has and will continue to report all arrests to immigration authorities, and that the focus is therefore inappropriate. Carcieri is term-limited and was prevented from running for a third term in 2010.
Firefighters' union contract arbitration
Since 2003, Cicilline has been engaged in a dispute with the Providence Firefighters labor union (Local 799). In a July 2002 email Cicilline sent to the members of Local 799, he indicated that he hoped to resolve their pending contract dispute with the city within 30 days of taking office. In August, Cicilline said in an interview that promising the resolution of contract negotiations was impossible because of the unpredictability of the other negotiating partner. The city and the union have been in arbitration in every contract year since 2002, with Cicilline appealing one arbitration decision to the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The appeal was rejected.In 2004, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards canceled a fundraising appearance in Providence in support of the Local 799. In 2007, Hillary Clinton asked Cicilline, a Clinton supporter, not to attend a Clinton rally because of threats by the union to picket the appearance.
Both the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have censured Cicilline for his role in the issue.
In 2009, due to the union's picket, the Obama administration canceled Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
's appearance at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Providence in the interests of remaining neutral in the conflict.
Tax office controversy
In June 2008, John M. Cicilline, brother of Mayor Cicilline, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements for his role in the courthouse corruption scheme. Federal prosecutors indicted John Cicilline, disbarred attorney Joseph Bevilacqua Jr. and two assistants in January 2007. According to court documents, the two attorneys spun a complicated scheme to win leniency in a drug trafficking case.Before reporting to prison, John M. Cicilline gave the city of Providence a $75,000 check for taxes owed by a client, but asked that the check not be cashed and only held as collateral. Two of the mayor’s top aides told the city tax collector Robert Ceprano, not to cash a check sent by the mayor’s brother, a lawyer, on behalf of a delinquent taxpayer because it would bounce. In four instances, the tax collector says, aides pressured him to perform tax favors for the mayor’s friends and/or campaign contributors. The mayor says the taxpayers got relief because they or the city made a tax mistake — not because they are friends or contributors. Amid the controversy the tax collector Robert Ceprano was fired
On May 10, 2009 Robert Ceprano filed a lawsuit against the City of Providence alleging conspiracy, corruption, libel and wrongful termination. The suit accuses John M. Cicilline, the mayor’s imprisoned brother, of attempting to defraud the City of Providence by writing a bad check for $75,000 on behalf of a delinquent taxpayer. Furthermore, it alleges, the mayor and his aides “willfully conspired … to conceal John Cicilline’s illegal activities.” Ceprano also charges that he was fired not for poor job performance, but because he resisted the mayor’s efforts to perform tax favors for political friends and supporters. Lawyers for Ceprano are asking for ten million dollars.
The single count complaint against John Cicilline was dismissed by Judge Kristin Rodgers on November 17, 2009.
2010 election
On February 13, Cicilline announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Rhode Island's 1st congressional districtRhode Island's 1st congressional district
Rhode Island's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in northern and eastern Rhode Island. The district is currently represented by David Cicilline, who has represented the district since January 2011....
which is being vacated by fellow Democrat Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Bristol County and Newport County, and parts of Providence County. Kennedy did not seek re-election in 2010.A member of the Kennedy...
. In the Democratic primary held on September 14, Cicilline defeated three opponents and won the party's nomination. He faced Republican John Loughlin.
Cicilline won the race with 81,098 votes to Loughlin's 71,443 and represents Rhode Island in the 112th Congress.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and TradeUnited States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and TradeThe U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade is a standing subcommittee within the House Foreign Affairs Committee.-Jurisdiction:...
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
- Committee on Small BusinessUnited States House Committee on Small BusinessThe United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.-History:On December 4, 1941, the U. S...
Policies
An avid supporter of non-violence, Cicilline has taken a stance against U.S. military forces in Libya2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war...
, voting to limit the use of funds supporting NATO operations in Libya and to remove armed forces from Libya in June 2011. On a domestic level, his anti-war policies translate to a strong advocacy against gun use, as he is a founding member of the bipartisan coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In 2010, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Brady Campaign
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence are affiliated non-profit organizations in the United States. They are named after James Brady who was permanently disabled as a result of an assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
endorsed Cicilline while in 2000, the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
awarded him an F- lifetime score. Cicilline has also indicated his support to ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons, to increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms, and to require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms. On November 16, 2011, Cicilline made a powerful public statement against the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act which would “require all states to allow out-of-state visitors to carry concealed firearms as long as the laws of the visitors' home states allow them to do so.” He insisted that the bill does not pertain at all to the Second Amendment
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
, infringes upon the rights of State governments to protect the safety of their citizens, and forces communities to accept concealed-carry standards set by other states instead of responding to their own unique needs.
Cicilline holds a pro-choice viewpoint on abortion, advocating that abortions should always be legally available and that government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services. In response to the Protect Life Act
Protect Life Act
The Protect Life Act is a bill introduced to the 112th United States Congress in the House of Representatives by Rep. Joe Pitts . The bill has 121 co-sponsors, including 6 Democrats...
of October 2011, which bans the use of federal funds to cover any costs of health care plans that cover abortions and would allow federally-funded hospitals that oppose abortions to refuse to perform the procedure (even in cases where a woman would die without it), Cicilline stated that it would endanger the lives of women and limit “how women can spend their own private dollars to purchase health insurance,” declaring the bill “outrageous.” He also voted against prohibiting the use of federal funds for Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
in February 2011 and against prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion in May 2011. On a related note, Cicilline has cosponsored the Violence Against Women Health Initiative Act of 2011 to “improve the health care system's assessment and response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and for other purposes.”
Cicilline actively supports veterans, ensuring that they “have access to a range of resources in health care, housing, employment, mental health services, and education.” He has cosponsored the Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act to aid veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder , the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act to permit disabled veterans to receive both retired pay and veterans disability compensation , and the Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2011 to extend work opportunities to recently discharged veterans . On November 18, 2011, Cicilline offered his support of the Vow Hire Heroes Act, which increases job opportunities for veterans, with this press release: "This vote ensures that Rhode Island veterans and all of our nation's veterans will receive some of the tools and resources they need to successfully reenter the workforce and provide for their families and loved ones.”
External links
- Congressman David Cicilline official U.S. House site
- David Cicilline for U.S. Congress official campaign site
Mayor
- Profile at CityMayors.com