PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Former Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci won’t take a cushy job at a posh Boston hotel after all.
Cianci returned Friday to the city he led for more than 20 years, starting a job at a downtown Providence condominium complex instead of the luxury boutique hotel Fifteen Beacon, where he was initially supposed to work in sales and marketing.
“From the very start, he was interested in coming to a location that would facilitate his transition into the Providence community,” said Cianci’s attorney, Charles Mansolillo.
Mansolillo said he thought publicity surrounding Cianci’s job in Boston had “raised the eyebrows” of the federal Bureau of Prisons and that the ex-mayor probably hadn’t been thrilled with the attention either. The Bureau of Prisons refused to comment.
Cianci reported to orientation Friday at The 903 Residences, which has 330 units and is located behind the Providence Place mall. He will assist the project manager, Fred Vincent, in marketing and sales. Vincent would not disclose Cianci’s salary or hours.
His daughter, Nicole, lives at the complex.
“Certainly, Mr. Cianci has talents in sales and marketing,” Vincent told reporters Friday, an allusion to Cianci’s penchant for vocally promoting the city and its attractions as mayor.
Cianci was released May 30 from a federal prison in Fort Dix, N.J., where he had served a sentence for racketeering conspiracy, and sent to a halfway house in Boston.
Cianci was convicted during a massive investigation of City Hall corruption called Operation Plunder Dome. Although sent to prison in 2002, many residents still credit him with revitalizing New England’s second-largest city.
Cianci is expected to work at The 903 Residences until July 28, when his term in federal custody ends. He was not made available to speak to the media Friday.
Mansolillo would not reveal if Cianci had any plans after his sentence ends.
The job was arranged through former Providence Mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr., whose real estate company is part-owner of the condominium development.
Cianci held office for 21 total years, making him one of the longest-serving mayors of a large city in U.S. history.
He was first elected as a Republican in 1974, but was forced from office 10 years later after pleading no contest to a felony assault charge alleging he attacked a man he believed was having an affair with his estranged wife. He staged a comeback in 1990, this time as an independent, and served as mayor until 2002.
Condos at the 903 range from $190,000 to $450,000, and the development includes a resort-style pool, a fitness center, a private movie theater and a fenced-in pet park.
George Regan, a spokesman for Fifteen Beacon owner Paul Roiff, said Cianci called Roiff Friday to thank him for the opportunity to work at the hotel.
Cianci was supposed to begin work at the luxury hotel earlier this week, but the start date was delayed because the hotel had not received approval at the time from the Bureau of Prisons.
Regan said prison officials’ reaction to Cianci’s Boston job was moot since the former mayor wanted to be in Providence anyway.
“I’m told that he was the one who pushed, he wanted to make an easier transition closer to home,” Regan said of Cianci. “It was he who asked for that.”
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