Island House of Representatives District 4. He defeated his Republican opponent, Michael L. Schein, in the general election with 2,851 votes to Schein's 1,642. 1998 In 1998, Cicilline ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He also ran unopposed in the general election. 2000 Cicilline ran unopposed for the third time in the Democratic primary in 2000. For the second time, he ran unopposed in the general election. Mayor of Providence (2003–2011) Elections 2002 Cicilline defeated Joseph R. Paolino, Jr, Keven A. McKenna, and David V. Igliozzi in the Democratic primary. In November 2002, Cicilline was elected in a landslide with 84% of the vote, following the downfall of controversial mayor Buddy Cianci and the aftermath of Operation Plunder Dome. He succeeded acting mayor John J. Lombardi, who served out Cianci's term, and decided not to run in the 2002 election. 2006 In 2006, Cicilline defeated Christopher F. Young in the Democratic primary. He went on to win an easy reelection with 83% of the vote. Tenure Approval ratings A Brown University survey from September 2007 found that 64% of state residents approved of the job Cicilline was doing in Providence. By February 2008, that number had dropped to 51%. In September 2008, his popularity fell to 46%. By May 2012, his approval rating had further fallen to 28%. Affiliations Cicilline was the 2008 President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. As mayor, he was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bipartisan group with the stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets". Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg co-chaired the Coalition. In 2009, Cicilline served as one of six selection committee members for the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence. Focus Cicilline's administration focused on the residential neighborhoods of Providence, as well as the "Renaissance" areas of downtown and Federal Hill that thrived under Cianci, and continued the promotion of the city via the tax breaks given to artists and movie productions. A former state legislator, he overcame the animosity between state and city government that had existed under Cianci. Student head tax In May 2009, Cicilline gained national headlines after proposing a $150 per semester Head Tax on each of the 25,000 college students attending four universities in the city. The tax was an effort to close $6–$8 million of a reported $17