David Cicilline has insisted that he knew nothing about the bad check his brother John Cicilline wrote as collateral for his client's back taxes.  He claims he didn't find out about the bad check until the media reported the story.  Now, it appears that David Cicilline's former Chief of Staff, Christopher Bizzacco, told the Mayor about the situation two years ago.  Of course, David Cicilline has denied having any knowledge of the situation.  I find this hard to believe.

     Several people close to David Cicilline had knowledge of the bad check.   I find it hard to believe that none of them mentioned the check to the Mayor.  Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't expect the Mayor to be made aware of delinquent taxes, but since his brother was the person who wrote the check, I would expect that the situation would be of interest to him.  I would also think that John Cicilline's background would have been an additional red flag for the Mayor's staff.  He had already been charged with committing unrelated crimes and was on his way to prison.  Shouldn't this pattern of behavior have convinced them to alert the Mayor to the situation?

     From reading articles, watching interviews, and using common sense, I don't believe David Cicilline.  I believe he had full knowledge of the situation from the beginning.  If by some chance I'm wrong and his staff really did keep him in the dark, then he has an incompetent, poorly run staff.  He's either a liar of a poor leader.  Take your pick.


http://www.projo.com/news/content/CICILLINE_TAXES_12-11-08_M9CJGG8_v27.3d55567.html

http://www.projo.com/news/2008/pdf/john_cicilline_affidavit.pdf