Race for Mayor: Donations from City Workers Spark Controversy

Race for Mayor: Donations from City Workers Spark Controversy

Angel Taveras is taking aim at his two Democratic mayoral opponents for accepting campaign contributions from city workers, saying the donations hearken back to the days of corruption in Providence.

“John Lombardi has accepted over $16,000 in campaign cash from city workers and Steve Costantino has pocketed nearly $6,000 in campaign cash—in this election year alone,” said Taveras campaign manager Lauren Nocera, who was citing internal campaign research. “With Providence’s terrible legacy of pay to play and corruption, the voters should stick with the candidate who refuses to play the insiders’ game and raises money from the people—not the special interests. That’s Angel Taveras.”

A GoLocalProv review of state campaign finance records for 2009 and 2010 found that Lombardi actually took $18,000 from individuals who listed the city of Providence or the Providence School Department as their employer. Costantino accepted $6,500 from employees of the city and the school department.

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But Taveras also received $1,200 from three individuals employed by the city. All of those donations, however, have been refunded, according to Nocera.

Costantino, Lombardi Defend Donations

Officials with both of the other campaigns defended the donations, saying city workers had a right to give. “Steven accepts contributions from all those who wish to support him in his efforts to clean up the city budget and create jobs and it’s wonderful we live in a democracy where all the residents are invited to support the candidates,” said Jennifer Bramley, a spokeswoman for Costantino.

“I also think that Mr. Taveras is showing his inexperience in trying to make an issue out of city workers donating,” Bramley added. “I would call it an empty accusation.”

Lombardi campaign manager Ramon Martinez said he was earning the support of rank-and-file city workers who had seen him serve with “distinction and honor” in his 26 years as a councilman.

“When John served as mayor in 2002, city hall workers felt included for the first time—ever.  They were treated with respect, and John’s door was always open to them,” Martinez said. “They felt a sense of belonging, and walked around cheerful all of the time. Who would blame them for expressing their desire for John to succeed as the next mayor of Providence?  They know what they are getting with John as the next mayor—and they know what they had for the past eight years.”

Taveras Accused of Violating Own Pledge

Both Bramley and Martinez pointed out that Taveras had accepted $1,000 from David Green, the husband of Myrth York, who is Taveras’ campaign chair as well as the chair of the city zoning board, for which she earns a small annual stipend. York has also given Taveras $1,000.

“The issue that emerged is that a young lawyer with no experience in city government stated that he would not accept donations from city workers,” Martinez said. “Yet, he has received donations through spouses and children of city workers. There is an inherent contradiction in this young and experienced candidate’s statement and his actions. While he says one thing, he does another. His statement lacks the proper backing by his actions—it is ‘Do what I say and not what I do.’”

But Nocera sees a clear difference between donations from full-time city employees and someone who receives a small stipend for serving on city board. “Myrth and David do not rely on the city of providence to keep their heat on, buy their kids glasses, or put gas in their car,” Nocera said. “And Myrth is not even a city employee for goodness sakes.”

“This tactic by our opponents is simply a distraction from the real issue—that both of our opponents take money from people who rely on their city jobs to get by,” Nocera said. “And that is taking a step backwards into an ugly, pay to play time in history. Under the Cicilline administration this practice had stopped, and it is crying shame that it is back.  The people of Providence do not want to return to the days where you needed to pay for a job in City Hall.”