Lame-duck Providence Mayor David Cicilline is using his bully pulpit and prominence as a tactic to win the election for U.S. Congress, in the struggle to replace Rep. Patrick Kennedy. Considering the high esteem invoked by the Kennedy name in New England, it is a sharp contrast to see Cicilline repeatedly misrepresent the facts regarding jobs during his tenure in Providence. More coincidental is the contrast between the mayor and one of his opponents, Rep. David Segal, who is a title Plaintiff against Cicilline in 2006.
One might think that if Providence had average unemployment (USA: 9.6, in June), the Mayor could bellow: "I am doing an average job on jobs!" Instead, Providence is abysmal (11.5) and second only to New Bedford, MA in all of New England. Does he think RI voters are in bubbles of ignorance, thus running repeated ads about his "job creation"... or is has he identified an elite democratic minority he feels will carry him through a 4-way Primary on Sept. 14th?
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