Can Buddy Beat The Rap?

Spend an evening with Providence's Mayor Cianci. Folks love him--and the feds want to put him away

The bottle on the table at the high-end Italian place in the restaurant district of Providence, R.I., bears a picture of the man sitting across from me. "See this olive oil? From 300-year-old trees!" shouts Mayor Vincent A. Cianci as he fills a saucer with a brand called the Mayor's Own. "That other stuff is kerosene. You could start your car with that. This is different. This is dignified. This is what you should have." By the time his plate of anchovies and a snifter of Courvoisier mixed with B&B; arrive, Cianci is rhapsodizing about the scholarships he has funded with...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!