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September 19, 2007

Cicilline resigns as co-chair of Clinton's R.I. campaign

PROVIDENCE — The threat of a firefighter and police picket of Hillary Clinton’s upcoming East Greenwich fundraiser has forced Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline to resign his role as co-chairman of Clinton’s Rhode Island campaign, and pledge not to attend the event.

The Providence firefighters and police, who are embroiled in years-long contract disputes with the city, vowed in August to protest the Sept. 27 event unless Cicilline stepped down as co-chair and promised not to attend.

Weeks of furious behind-the-scenes negotiations followed, according to union officials, and this morning, Cicilline resigned as chairman of the Clinton campaign in Rhode Island, and this afternoon said he would not attend the fundraiser.

“I learned that the firefighters union are try to extort from the city and from me agreement to provisions of a contract, which I will not allow,” Cicilline said.

“It was important for me to remove that opportunity form the union leadership, the chance to use my position to in any way undermine my responsibility to the taxpayers of the city.”

Cicilline said that he isn’t worried about the picketing — but he couldn’t allow the police and fire unions to use his position with Clinton as a bargaining chip.

“My decision is not the consequence of fearing the disruption of the event. I’ve had them protest my events. There are signs across the city. I’m used to that.

“The issue is their trying to use my position to extort outrageous demands from the taxpayers of this city,” Once he recognized they were using this event, he said, “I knew I had to step down.”

In an interview earlier today, Cicilline said he would attend the event. But later in the day, he issued a statement saying he would not.

-- By Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Joseph Rodio, a lawyer representing both the police and fire unions, said that the negotiations go back weeks, and that the deal that was worked out was that Cicilline had to step down and promise not to attend.

If he does attend, Rodio said, the picket is on.

“There were two predicates. If he violated either one, it’s a full-fledged picket,” Rodio said. “If he wants to go, we’re picketing.”

If the picket is on, Rodio said, then he has been told that Clinton will not attend — in much the same way that John Edwards cancelled a 2004 campaign visit rather than cross the firefighters’ picket line.

“Her staff indicated to us that she would not show up if there was a picket. So there wasn’t a choice on his part, in my opinion,” Rodio said.

Rodio said that weeks of negotiations have been with event host and Clinton friend Mark Weiner and with State Democratic Party Chairman William Lynch, and Cicilline was not present. But he said that considering that fire first contacted the Clinton campaign on Aug. 6, and police joined them on Aug. 22, he’d be shocked if Cicilline hadn’t been aware at every stage.

“I can’t believe that once we gave them opposition, he was not part of that,” Rodio said.

In 2004, the threat of crossing a firefighter picket line caused then-vice presidential candidate John Edwards to cancel a scheduled speech at the Providence Biltmore Hotel at the very last minute, as Edwards’ plane circled T.F. Green airport.

That time, a similar demand was made: Cicilline must not attend the fundraiser. Cicilline refused to back down, and the event was cancelled.

The firefighters have also done informational pickets of two Hillary Clinton fundraisers. At one, Clinton entered through the back door, but came out front later to chat amiably with fire fighters.

Cicilline said in his letter to Clinton that he plans to continue working on her behalf, and that he looks forward “to working with you on issues ranging from community policing to education reform when you are sworn in as the next President of the United States.”

Posted by Jack Perry at 4:01 PM | Permalink

September 19, 2007

Cicilline resigns as co-chair of Clinton's R.I. campaign

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