Condemned to repeat history? Hopefully not when it comes to Operation Plunder Dome

"Running City Hall as a criminal enterprise."

This was no small screwup. In Providence, under former mayor Buddy Cianci, a bribe could get you almost anything you wanted: a lower tax bill, a school department lease for your building, your kid to get a job as a cop, a higher ranking on the tow truck list, possibly even quicker removal of a pesky stump in your yard.

FBI agent Dennis Aiken told Mooney "The level of corruption here was just unbelievable.”

When all was said and done, nine city officials were convicted – including the mayor himself – on charges that included bribery, extortion and racketeering.

But this is all history, right? What does it matter for us today?

First, the perception of Providence has changed, for the better, even according to Aiken. And John Marion, who now heads the good-government group Common Cause Rhode Island, says he thinks voters rejected Cianci's 2014 bid to return to the mayor's office because "Providence had changed in large part. It became in some ways the Renaissance city [Cianci] took so much credit for. It was full of new people who didn't want to return to the older Providence and those that accepted his old behavior.”

But also, deterring other officials from abusing their power is the hope with public corruption cases like Operation Plunder Dome, according to former U.S. Attorney Margaret Curran (who prosecuted Cianci). The message is clear: You will get caught, and you will be punished.

And of course, in the words of philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

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