Buddy Cianci
Later life
Later life
----------

Cianci was released from prison on May 30, 2007, to a [halfway house](/wiki/Halfway_house "Halfway house") near [Northeastern University](/wiki/Northeastern_University "Northeastern University")Michelle R. Smith, ["Cianci arrives at Boston halfway house after release from prison"](http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2007/05/30/former_providence_mayor_to_be_released_from_prison_today/?p1=MEWell_Pos4), [Boston.com](/wiki/The_Boston_Globe "The Boston Globe"), May 30, 2007\. Accessed January 15, 2008\. in [Boston](/wiki/Boston "Boston").
[thumb\|Cianci in 2009](/wiki/File:Buddy_Cianci_4_July_2009_Bristol_RI_%281%29.jpg "Buddy Cianci 4 July 2009 Bristol RI (1).jpg")

Upon his initial release from federal prison, he had already secured a job in marketing and sales for the XV Beacon, a luxury hotel in Boston. However, he ultimately chose to return to Rhode Island and began work at the 903 Residences in Providence.Raja Mishra, ["Cianci snubs Boston for job in R.I."](http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/09/cianci_snubs_boston_for_job_in_ri/), *[The Boston Globe](/wiki/The_Boston_Globe "The Boston Globe")*, June 9, 2007\. Accessed January 15, 2008\.

On the animated sitcom *[Family Guy](/wiki/Family_Guy "Family Guy")* (set in Rhode Island), Chris attended Buddy Cianci Junior High School. One episode released in 2005 was titled "[Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High](/wiki/Fast_Times_at_Buddy_Cianci_Jr._High "Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High")".

### Political commentator

On September 20, 2007, Cianci returned to the airwaves on local Providence AM radio station WPRO, hosting a weekday talk show. He said that he had no plans to run for political office again, although he had not entirely ruled it out when pressed on the issue. On October 24, 2007, Cianci appeared on [WLNE\-TV ABC6](/wiki/WLNE-TV "WLNE-TV") to announce that in addition to his radio show, he was joining the television station as chief political analyst and contributing editor. The work included moderating a weekly political segment called *Your Attention Please*, which was renamed *Buddy TV.* The timeslot became a daily segment in July 2008, and was renamed *The World According to Buddy* as of May 2011\. His position at WLNE began on November 1, 2007\. Cianci also hosted the station's weekend public affairs program *On the Record with Buddy Cianci*. He began in October 2008 as cohost of the program with WLNE weeknight anchor John DeLuca and became solo host in May 2011\.

### 2014 campaign for Mayor of Providence

Cianci became eligible to run for mayor again in the year 2012, three years after his probation ended (due to the provisions of the 1986 Rhode Island constitutional amendment, aptly named "the Buddy amendment").Joe Vileno, ["Buddy Cianci"](http://thephoenix.com/Article.aspx?id=47738&page=5) , *[The Phoenix](/wiki/The_Phoenix_%28newspaper%29 "The Phoenix (newspaper)")*, September 24, 2007\. Accessed January 15, 2008\. The next election in which Cianci would have been eligible to run was the November 2014\. In 2010, Cianci was quoted as saying that he was "taking a good look" at running for the [U.S. House](/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives "United States House of Representatives") seat to be vacated by [Democrat](/wiki/Democratic_Party_%28United_States%29 "Democratic Party (United States)") [Patrick J. Kennedy](/wiki/Patrick_J._Kennedy "Patrick J. Kennedy"). He did not declare his candidacy.

In May 2014, Cianci, after being successfully treated for cancer, was cleared by his doctors to run for mayor in the 2014 November election.["Doctors Clear Buddy Cianci to Run for Mayor if He Wants"](http://www.abc6.com/story/25407785/doctors-clear-buddy-cianci-to-run-for-mayor-if-he-wants), *ABC 6*, May 6, 2014\. Accessed May 8, 2014\. On June 25, Cianci declared his candidacy for Mayor of Providence as an independent. In August, he named former Cianci staffer [Cyd McKenna](/wiki/Cyd_McKenna "Cyd McKenna") as his campaign manager and Dee Dee Witman as his finance chair, alongside other former staffers Charles Mansolillo and Beryl Kenyon. Providence hip\-hop artist Zumo Kollie released a song titled "Buddy Cianci" on November 4, 2014\. His campaign was unsuccessful and he lost narrowly to Democrat [Jorge Elorza](/wiki/Jorge_Elorza "Jorge Elorza"), conceding the election on November 4\.

### Illness and death

In January 2014, Cianci was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Cianci died on January 28, 2016, at the age of 74\. He had been taken to the hospital the previous day after experiencing abdominal pain while filming his television show, *On the Record with Buddy Cianci*, at the [WLNE\-TV](/wiki/WLNE-TV "WLNE-TV") studio.

Thousands of people viewed Cianci's open casket as his body lay in state for two days in [Providence City Hall](/wiki/Providence_City_Hall "Providence City Hall"), the first mayor to be so honored since [Thomas Doyle](/wiki/Thomas_A._Doyle_%28mayor%29 "Thomas A. Doyle (mayor)") in 1886\. A horse\-drawn carriage carried his casket through the city during a snowstorm on February 8, as it made its way to the [Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul](/wiki/Cathedral_of_Saints_Peter_and_Paul_%28Providence%2C_Rhode_Island%29 "Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Providence, Rhode Island)") where Roman Catholic Bishop [Thomas Joseph Tobin](/wiki/Thomas_Joseph_Tobin "Thomas Joseph Tobin") presided over a funeral mass. The funeral procession then passed through [Olneyville](/wiki/Olneyville "Olneyville") and Silver Lake, where Cianci grew up, ending at St. Ann's Cemetery in Cranston for a private burial next to his parents and daughter, Nicole.


Are there any comparisons between Buddy Cianci and other notable figures in American politics?