Buddy Cianci, Providence's longest-serving mayor, had a long and controversial history with the Bristol parade.
In the 1970s, parade rules stipulated that only elected federal, state, and Bristol town officials were invited to participate; mayors of Providence were not invited.
In spite of this, Providence mayor Buddy Cianci marched in the parade every year after his 1975 election, in violation of the rules, until parade organizers sent a letter censuring him after the 1979 parade.
The Bristol Town Council explicitly voted to ban Cianci from the 1980 parade, a year in which Cianci was running for governor against J. Joseph Garrahy, who, as sitting governor, was welcome to march.
The Bristol police chief vowed to arrest anyone who caused a disturbance.
A record 300,000 spectators showed up for the 1980 parade, waiting to see what would happen.
In the end, when Cianci's helicopter touched down at Colt High School, officials backed down in the face of overwhelming crowd support for Cianci; he received bigger cheers than any other guest that day.

In 1984, after pleading "no contest" to a charge of assault, Cianci skipped the parade; a clown dressed in a prison uniform, carrying a ball and chain, mocked him in his absence.
In 1991, Cianci caused some controversy by marching in front of the parade marshal, which prompted the parade chairman to comment, "Cianci is rude and he doesn't deserve to be invited back."
In 1997 and 1998, Cianci marched with a "small army" of police, including police rescue boats on trailers, a bicycle patrol, and police officers squirting spectators with water rifles.
This proved too much for the parade subcommittee, who unanimously dis-invited Cianci from the 1999 parade.
Cianci skipped 1999, but returned in 2000 to shouting and cheers, despite having been indicted this time on federal corruption charges.
Cianci's last appearance as sitting mayor was in 2002, after his conviction.
Instead of riding his usual horse, Cianci walked this time, and he was frequently stopped by fans along the route to take photos and to shake his hand.

In 2003, new Providence Mayor David Cicilline marched in the parade, accompanied by a more modest contingent than his predecessor.
Buddy Cianci, Providence's longest-serving mayor, had a long and controversial history with the Bristol parade. In the 1970s, parade rules stipulated that only elected federal, state, and Bristol town officials were invited to participate; mayors of Providence were not invited. In spite of this, Providence mayor Buddy Cianci marched in the parade every year after his 1975 election, in violation of the rules, until parade organizers sent a letter censuring him after the 1979 parade. The Bristol Town Council explicitly voted to ban Cianci from the 1980 parade, a year in which Cianci was running for governor against J. Joseph Garrahy, who, as sitting governor, was welcome to march. The Bristol police chief vowed to arrest anyone who caused a disturbance. A record 300,000 spectators showed up for the 1980 parade, waiting to see what would happen. In the end, when Cianci's helicopter touched down at Colt High School, officials backed down in the face of overwhelming crowd support for Cianci; he received bigger cheers than any other guest that day.
In 1984, after pleading "no contest" to a charge of assault, Cianci skipped the parade; a clown dressed in a prison uniform, carrying a ball and chain, mocked him in his absence. In 1991, Cianci caused some controversy by marching in front of the parade marshal, which prompted the parade chairman to comment, "Cianci is rude and he doesn't deserve to be invited back." In 1997 and 1998, Cianci marched with a "small army" of police, including police rescue boats on trailers, a bicycle patrol, and police officers squirting spectators with water rifles. This proved too much for the parade subcommittee, who unanimously dis-invited Cianci from the 1999 parade. Cianci skipped 1999, but returned in 2000 to shouting and cheers, despite having been indicted this time on federal corruption charges. Cianci's last appearance as sitting mayor was in 2002, after his conviction. Instead of riding his usual horse, Cianci walked this time, and he was frequently stopped by fans along the route to take photos and to shake his hand.
In 2003, new Providence Mayor David Cicilline marched in the parade, accompanied by a more modest contingent than his predecessor.
Bristol Fourth of July Parade