Lynch Attack on Cicilline Backfires: He Makes More Than $800,000

Lynch Attack on Cicilline Backfires: He Makes More Than $800,000

Bill Lynch claims David Cicilline is out of touch with average Rhode Islanders because he didn’t even notice he was making $20,000 in extra pay—but it turns out that Lynch earns about six times what Cicilline does.

Lynch, who is vying with Cicilline for the First Congressional District seat, launched his latest criticism after it was reported that the Providence mayor had received pay raises, causing his income to be $132,652, well above the $125,000 he should be receiving. The city internal auditor has said Cicilline receive a total of $20,000 in extra pay over four years.

“It may not seem like much when you are living on the East Side of Providence, but, for far too many Rhode Islanders, that’s real money,” Lynch said. “It can be the difference between a parent paying for their families’ health insurance premiums, or a senior choosing between food and prescription drugs. I have heard of candidates not knowing what a gallon of milk cost, but this episode simply raises the bar for disconnected career politicians.”

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Lynch Salary Far Higher Than Cicilline’s

But when it comes to income, Lynch makes far more than Cicilline. Lynch, who is a partner in McIntyre, Tate, and Lynch, earned $863,868 in 2009, according to his financial disclosure statement filed with the Legislative Resource Center for the U.S. House of Representatives. In the first four months of 2010, Lynch has already earned $237,052, according to the May 17 document. (See copy below.)

A Lynch spokesman yesterday denied that his higher income made him more disconnected from average Rhode Islanders. He said the issue wasn’t the amount of income—but the fact that Cicilline didn’t even know what his salary was.

“This isn’t about how much he’s making, it’s about the fact that he doesn’t even know if his salary is correct,” said spokesman Bill Fischer. “You would be hard pressed to find one struggling family in Rhode Island that doesn’t know if their pay check is right or wrong on payday.”

Cicilline Officials Deny He’s Out of Touch

Campaign manager Eric Hyers said rebuffed the claim that he was out of touch, citing his experience as mayor. “The idea that David Cicilline is out of touch is laughable,” responded Cicilline campaign manager Eric Hyers. “As mayor of a big city he sees every day the problems everyday Rhode Islanders face and what it takes to have a positive impact on their lives.”

Karen Watts, a spokeswoman with the mayor’s office said the raises were “erroneously” applied to his salary by the payroll department. She said he would be paying the money back to the city.