Providence Election Uses "Dirty Tricks" - Mayor Cicilline alleged as involved

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Release Date: February 14, 2006

Providence Election Uses "Dirty Tricks" - Mayor Cicilline alleged as involved

By Press Dept Now
February 14, 2006

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Mayor David Cicilline and campaign workers alleged to have used Dirty Tricks to get new member on Providence City Council. Election results being contested.

PR9.NET February 14, 2006 - Providence, RI - Wilbur W. Jennings Jr., a candidate for Councilman in Providence's 8th ward has filed wide ranging allegations with the Board of Elections that include voting machine "inaccuracies," voting count discrepancies, people voting illegally, mail ballot tampering and people being compensated to vote or vote illegally in another ward as if they were another voter.

In his complaint, Jennings also questions "ethics violations" as the phone bank used by winning candidate Leon Tejada was the Cicilline Headquarters on Broad Street, and that the Mayor's staff was observed picking up and dropping off voters,during working hours. Other issues such as the value of contributions reported, financial disclosure and interference in the election process were listed as well.

In a statement this morning, Jennings said, "First I won, then I didn't, then there were no paper ballots, then there were, then we're told there were no provisional ballots, then I hear from Polling Supervisors that there were... and to top it all off, I find out people were voting illegally here from the ninth ward in what appears to have been a well coordinated effort that may have included Mayoral staff and been engineered from Cicilline campaign headquarters. Mayoral staff were seen providing rides to voters, during normal working hours. I would like to know if all those workers took personal time off or if they were on city payroll", Jennings said.

In a phone statement, another candidate for that seat, Eulogio Acevedo said, "Does it make sense, that someone (Tejada) can change his address to the 8th ward, where he is not well known, only months before an election and win a seat legitimately?" "Candidate Tejada was openly endorsed by the Mayor. Gonzalo Cuervo, the Mayor's Director of Neighborhood Relations was his campaign manager and treasurer, and it is known that he received considerable resources from the Mayor," Acevedo went on.

"Whether or not they paid people to vote illegally, or illegally registered people to vote in the 8th ward who did not live here, I cannot assure that. But his people and Tejada had to know what was happening, as this and other council races were openly targeted by the Mayor" he concluded.

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Providence Election Uses "Dirty Tricks" - Mayor Cicilline alleged as involved

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