When I had reported on former mayor and two-time felon Vincent
“Buddy” Cianci’s entrance into the Providence mayor’s race, I wondered if
Bishop Thomas Tobin would conduct an exorcism on the city’s residents, or Dr.
Dan Harrop would order a psychiatric hold on the voters. Now, following the
revelation that Dr. Dan donated $1,000 to Democrat Jorge Elorza’s campaign, I
think we better get the holy water, or the aqua
vitae. Stat!
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| Dr. Dan Harrop |
Interestingly enough, only a month ago I had interviewed Dr.
Dan on the phone, and he was optimistic about his chances, even though he was
polling only 6%: “Hey, that’s two points about above Republican registration in
Providence,” he retorted. In his opinion, the Republican label isn’t toxic,
since there are plenty of Republicans out there (really?), but that the Democratic
label has its advantages. I think I want a second opinion.
On why Providentials might reelect the notorious Buddy (a
better name to run on), Harrop answered, “The city of Providence is suffering
from battered wife syndrome. They think things will get worse with someone else.”
In other words, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. A
Harrop administration capitalizing on the failures of Democratic policies and
Cianci’s prior bona fides would have been better. The demons and debt and dysfunction
would have fled. Now, voters may never know.
Even Republican US Senate candidate Mark Zaccaria told me
that Harrop might actually win the mayoralty, anyway, sine all he needs was one
third of the votes cast, plus one. Does the doctor doubt his ability? Why throw
good money after bad and help out another candidate? Now, I’m not sure who I want
to see win. And whoever does win (Cianci, most likely), residents will have
either corruption or incompetence as the new administrative mainstay.
Then again, would a Cianci administration be so bad?
Regarding the pensions, certainly, at least in Dr. Dan’s estimation. “They are
unjust pensions. He [Cianci] gave all the workers a 6% COLA.” The usual cost of
living increase would be half of that. Explaining to me the outrageously
generous pension formulas promulgated under the Cianci, the Providence fire
chief retired with $100,000. He now takes in more than he had earned while
working. Not only that, but the pension stays with the spouse after the fire
chief dies. Longest case scenario? The fire chief divorces one wife, marries an
eighteen-year old, he dies, and she gets the pension for the rest of her life.
No wonder Providence is going bankrupt. If he did not win in
November, Harrop predicted that the city would go bankrupt, since the pensions
are only 30% funded. Putting the city into receivership will allow elected
officials to renegotiate the pensions, Harrop told me, as he has argued on
Rhode Island news programs for months.
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| Harrop, Cianci, Elorza |
What would voters expect from an Elorza or Cianci
administration, anyway?
Harrop’s take on his opponents for the office was
interesting as well as funny. To the Brown graduate, small businesses are
wondering what kind of business climate they could face if either Buddy or
Elorza wins. With Cianci, business owners will have to slip $1,000 under the
door, but at least they’ll get their paperwork processed. If Elorza wins,
businesses submit their paperwork, seek their permits, but in six months, they
will inquire on the status of their licenses applications, and Providence
bureaucrats will shrug their shoulders. Harrop slid $1,000 under the door for
Elorza. If the doctor got elected, would voters get the best or the worst of
the other two candidates?
In addition to his thoughts on the Providence race, I asked
him about GOP setbacks in Rhode Island, and what could be done about it. “We
are not ready for Hillary”, pointed out. He decried the lack of ward chiefs in
Providence. “At least 50% of them should be Hispanic.” Pointing out the lack of
outreach to Hispanics, Harrop argued that the Republican Party needs to work on
making its case to the immigrant vote, which is huge in Providence, but as of yet
has failed to do so. Then there was the lack of a ground-up game:
They try to go for the
quick fix, instead of building town and precinct committees. We don’t have a
farm team to bring along slowly but surely. It’s going to take a long time.
Then Dr. Dan added:
We need to get a team
mentality. Even if we win only one out of every five [elections].
After Harrop’s donation to Democrat Elorza, perhaps the doctor
should follow his own advice before counseling others. Even if Elorza wins, he
faces the same debilitating prospects of a city losing revenue, cutting basic
services, plus the wealth-creating tax base fleeing the city (and the state).
The same Democratic prescription: tax, spend, blame Republicans, run from
responsibility, will not delay the inevitable.
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| Downtown Providence, Rhode Island |
Not only do Ocean State residents have a Rhode Island
election for the governor’s race, but a three-ring circus has opened wide in
Providence, too. Something wicked this way comes.
Bishop Tobin: pray to Providence for Providence’s sake.
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