I recently received an invitation to a fundraiser for Councilman John Lombardi, who will likely be running for mayor of Providence in 2010.  I usually don't advertise fundraisers, and you might think it is unusual to be mentioning a fundraiser for a Democrat on this blog.  If you are confused, allow me to explain: David Cicilline needs to go.

     It would be nice to see a fiscally conservative Republican in City Hall, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  Their hasn't been a competitive Republican in the mayoral race since Fred Lippitt ran in 1990, and I don't expect a viable GOP candidate to emerge in 2010.  It would be nice, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  With that said, the best way to defeat David Cicilline is in the Democratic primary, not the general election.

     So far, Chris Young has announced his candidacy, Joe Paolino has mentioned running, and John Lomardi is just an official announcement away.  Chris Young doesn't have a chance, and Joe Paolino ran a half-hearted campaign in 2002 and lost in the primary.  The way things stand now, John Lombardi is the best candidate.  Republicans might not be thrilled with another Democratic mayor, but John Lombardi would likely do a far better job than David Cicilline.


Here's a link to the fundraiser's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118450586951