Howie, Who? Buddy Brings It

Howie Carr may be the radio talk show host who gets most of our attention, but he’s not the host with the most entertaining off-air antics in Southern New England. Down in the sleepy hamlet of Rhode Island, former Providence mayor, and conflicted felon, Vincent “Buddy” Cianci has been using his radio show as a bully pulpit against corruption in the new mayor’s administration.

Yes, the guy who was convicted of racketeering and whose administration was “rife with corruption at all levels,” according to a judge, is attacking the very thing that made him successful.

Cianci enjoys taking shots at his successor, David Cicilline.

“I don’t say he’s doing a bad job,” Cianci insisted in an interview after his show the other day.

Except, he said, that police morale is low. And Cicilline is taking campaign money from city vendors and employees. (“You don’t have to even bother checking, trust me,” said Cianci, who was never shy about vacuuming hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in campaign contributions from those sources.). . . Cianci said he does not see hypocrisy in his critiques of the current mayor.

Cianci has more nerve in the strands of his remaining hair than Carr has in his whole body. He’s trying to charm the reporter into not corroborating his claims. (Of course, Cicilline denies Cianci’s allegations.) He’s actually served hard time instead of whining about “indentured servitude.” Sure, Cianci can’t run for office until 2012, but you’d be a fool to think he won’t try if he’s healthy enough at 71-years-old.

Forget Imus. Bring us Buddy.