Mayor David N. Cicilline was born on the South Side of Providence and then moved with his family to Narragansett, Rhode Island. In 1983, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political science from Brown University, where as an undergraduate he established a branch of the College Democrats with his classmate, the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. He then went to Georgetown University Law Center where he earned a J.D. He served as a public defender in Washington, D.C. before returning to Rhode Island to open a practice in criminal defense and civil rights law.

Cicilline began his political life serving four terms in the State Legislature representing Providence’s East Side and a neighboring section of Pawtucket. He earned a reputation as a fierce champion of political reform and gun safety, and his dedication to ethics in government won him Common Cause’s #1 ranking.

In 2002, when the City of Providence was buckling under a $59 million deficit, an archaic infrastructure, and the legacy of decades of corruption, David Cicilline was elected on his pledge to restore public confidence in City Hall and to revitalize the city’s neighborhoods. Since his election in 2002, Cicilline has led a comprehensive transformation of city government based on honesty, transparency, and accountability.

By restoring trust in city government, Cicilline has ushered in $3 billion in new investment and restored vibrancy to downtown and the 25 neighborhoods of the city. Under his leadership, Providence has seen crime drop to its lowest rate in 30 years. The city is undergoing dramatic educational reform, with a new core curriculum, award-winning after-school programs, and a revamp of facilities and teacher hiring guidelines.

Since the onset of the national recession and the state’s budget crisis, Cicilline has fought to protect the gains for which Providence has labored so hard. He has become active in national organizations to give Providence a place in the most influential policy discussions. He has persuasively advocated for structural reforms at the state level. He has held a firm line in demanding public employee contracts that are fair to taxpayers and to City employees.

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