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August 7, 2007
Protest Against Stephen Tocco
The Rhode Island Republican Assembly forwards this notice about a demonstration being held in Smithfield tonight...
There will be a resignation rally on Tuesday 8/7/2007 at 7:00pm @ Smithfield Town Hall (64 Farnum Pike, Route 104).Thomas J. Morgan of the Projo has the details on the former police chief's (who is now the town council President) direct involvment with corruption...The purpose is to demand that disgraced former Capitol Police Chief Stephen Tocco resign from the Town Council.
[Jeff Neal, spokesman for Governor Donald Carcieri,] declared on June 7 that Tocco had been “temporarily reassigned” while the governor’s office examined the police chief’s role as a facilitator of bribes in municipal corruption cases in the 1980s and 1990s. The issue arose after a reporter uncovered records in the archives of the U.S. District Court that had lain unnoticed for more than a decade...According to an earlier Thomas Morgan article, however, Smithfield Democrats (including Tocco himself), don't see what all the fuss is about...Tocco, according to the transcript of the trial of Garafano, the former Providence public works director, testified under oath that he had negotiated bribes and carried thousands of dollars in bribes on a number of occasions both to Garafano and to Louis S. Simon, then public works director in Pawtucket during the administration of Mayor Brian J. Sarault. Simon and Sarault pleaded guilty and served jail terms. Garafano was convicted and sentenced to prison.
Tocco committed these acts while he was also an officer of the Capitol Police, he testified.
Tocco, who also is president of the Smithfield Town Council, said he intended no change in that position.After all, if we didn't have people to carry the bribes, how would any business get done in Rhode Island?“Sure, I’ll remain on the council,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”....
When Tocco sought election to the Smithfield Council in 2004, he apparently neglected to mention the skeleton in his closet to Larry Mancini, the chairman of the Democratic Town Committee. “It was never disclosed to me in any capacity,” Mancini said last week. “If it was disclosed to me and to those who participate in the candidate-selection process, I think we would have weighed that in the context of a viable candidate.”
Mancini added, however, “Knowing him as a person and having the ability to assess his qualities in my mind would have outweighed the negativity.
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Mancini was quoted as saying "Yeah, he's a scum sucking felon. But he's OUR scum sucking felon. Of course if he was a Republican we would be running him out on a rail tonight."
Bill Lynch was unavailable for comment as he was busy investigating ways to blame Don Carceri for World War II, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the crucifixion of Christ.
Posted by: Greg at August 7, 2007 1:48 PM“Sure, I’ll remain on the council,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”....
“Knowing him as a person and having the ability to assess his qualities in my mind would have outweighed the negativity."
Posted by: SusanD at August 7, 2007 2:19 PMAndrew. C'mon. You made those quotes up.
“Sure, I’ll remain on the council,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”....
That says it all, doesn't it?
Posted by: Will at August 7, 2007 4:39 PMHi!
Posted by: Scott Bill Hirst at August 8, 2007 11:54 AMI recall if I am correct, seeing Tocco working at the State House kind of wavy hair?I need to know more about details about this but it certainly does not look good.
The BOTTOM LINE is Rhode Islanders themselves for TOLERATING such behavior!How does something like this be FORGOTTEN?Aren't background checks done,people who know him interviwed etc.,?
The Rhode Island Republican Assembly needs to be THANKED for their leadership in this.
Regards,
Scott
Council President Tocco was on with our favorite schizophrenic talk show host today. This time, it was Mr. Hyde calling the shots as Dan Yorke actually defended Stephen Tocco, bringing up, among other items, due process.
That's nice and I'm a big fan of due process. The only problem is that there is no question of guilt in this case. Mr. Tocco admitted under oath that for two years, he was the bag man for a corrupt politician. It is unclear to me, therefore, why Dan was defending him.
Posted by: SusanD at August 8, 2007 11:13 PM