LINES of police officers and firefighters; a horse-drawn carriage led by a bagpiper; a service in the cathedral celebrated by the bishop: the funeral of Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, the former mayor of Providence, on February 8th, was big, like the personality that had dominated the city for decades. Mr Cianci's escapades (often thuggish and sometimes illegal) and his quips (which also became famous) frequently overshadowed his accomplishments. But the city's renewal in the 1990s can be largely attributed to the leadership of Mr Cianci, who died on January 28th aged 74. When he took office in 1975, Providence, once known as "the beehive of industry", was in decline. The city's once vibrant textile industry had all but disappeared. “On the night of my inauguration the police got an emergency phone call that several monkeys were escaping from our zoo. You know you’re in trouble when your monkeys are trying to get out of town,” wrote Mr Cianci in his memoir “Politics and Pasta”.

During six terms in office, over two separate stints, Mr Cianci did much to revitalise the city. Struggling neighbourhoods were rehabilitated and historic buildings were preserved and renovated. Crime fell. Gondolas were introduced to rivers once covered by concrete decking. The charismatic Mr Cianci also lifted residents’ spirits. He attended many of the events he was invited to from baptisms to baseball games, and some he wasn’t.

There was, however, a dark side. In law school, he was accused of rape (which he denied). Mr Cianci left office amidst scandal, twice. In 1984, he resigned after being convicted of assaulting a man with a cigarette, an ashtray and a log, in front of the police. He returned to City Hall in 1990 with the campaign slogan, “He never stopped caring about Providence.” That was undoubtedly true, but his second tour ended badly too. In 2002 he was brought down by a federal racketeering probe which landed him in prison for nearly five years. The judge compared Mr Cianci to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He was one of the “most talented politicians Rhode Island has ever seen”, yet he “presided over an administration that is rife with corruption at all levels.”

Behind bars, Mr Cianci made the most of the time away, reading 500 books. He did not much like “The Prince of Providence”, by Mike Stanton, a riveting portrait of the politician which describes a city of promises and pay-offs. That same year, a catchy musical based on Cianci's life premiered off-Broadway, featuring tunes like “The Ass You Have to Kiss Today” and “The Armpit of New England”.

But Mr Cianci bounced back. He wrote a book, launched his own marinara sauce and hosted a radio programme. The former Republican also ran for mayor as an independent in 2014, but his former base had died or moved away. He lost, but with a respectable 45% of the vote.

Before his funeral, Mr Cianci's body lay in state in City Hall. His official portrait hung nearby. When it was unveiled in November, Mr Cianci quipped “It’s not the first time I’ve been framed.” Thousands of former constituents as well as political allies and political foes queued up to pay their respects to Providence’s longest serving mayor. His felony convictions tainted his legacy, Luis Aponte, the city council president told the Providence Journal, “but it didn’t erase it.”