Cianci said his formula for success, which netted him 97 percent of the vote in his last election and approval ratings in the range of 75 percent, is built on focus, hard work and innovation. For instance, one of his more innovative proposals includes a recent plan to attract artists to live and work in renovated buildings downtown by exempting them from state income tax and sales tax on works they sell. Cianci hopes the arts district will increase his city's property tax base by repopulating abandoned buildings and bring to life his vision of the downtown as an arts and entertainment district.

Cianci discussed how cities have changed in the quarter century he has been in the Mayor's office, and so the role of the Mayor has changed as well. "In the past, people left central cities for the ring cities and suburbs. But that's changing. Now the ring cities are starting to get the same problems the central cities had, but they can't offer the amenities." So from Cianci's experience, the ring cities are inheriting public safety problems and traffic problems, but they cannot come close to offering scenic parks, museums, short commutes, and fine restaurants.

As people return to cities, they return for these amenities, Cianci reasons, so the Mayor's role today and in the years to come will be to ensure the city remains vibrant and livable, offering a lot of options and choices. From Cianci's viewpoint, that's a vast change from the 70's, where "Mayors were more like social workers. Today Mayors have to behave like CEOs."

What he has done to improve Providence is dramatic. In recent years the three rivers that run through downtown have been uncovered and moved. In place of the pavement that once buried them, bridges arc over the streams, kayakers paddle through them, and pedestrians walk along the cobblestone sidewalks. In addition, a mostly abandoned railroad freight yard has been converted to an amphitheater on the rivers. The unsightly train tracks have been covered, and the old train station now hosts offices and restaurants. In 1993, a new convention center opened, and hotels have followed.

But it's not any specific project or program that Cianci cites when pressed about his proudest achievement. "It's the attitude change," he says. "City residents have more self-esteem and are proud to live here, and people outside want to move in."