Political feud ends between Lenihan and the Caprios;

Arthur Gregg Sulzberger Journal Staff Writer. The Providence Journal. Providence, R.I.: Sep 8, 2005. pg.

NARRAGANSETT - In 2002, George F. Lenihan Jr., a former town councilman and the owner of Pancho O'Malleys, tried to oust state Rep. David A. Caprio in an unusually heated Democratic primary.

That was two years after his father ran against Caprio. Tonight Lenihan is hosting a fundraiser at his bar and restaurant for Caprio's brother, Frank, who is running for state general treasurer.

"Frank's a Narragansett guy; I think he would make a good treasurer and I support him," explained Lenihan. "Yeah, me and my dad ran against [David Caprio], but it was never personal. He won and that was that... That's democracy. Anyone who takes it personally shouldn't be in the game. It's not for the thin- skinned."

Frank Caprio, a state senator from Providence and chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Commerce, Housing and Municipal Government, said he appreciated the support, part of which he attributed to his brother's popularity, but was eager to downplay the division.
"It's just like when the Yankees and Red Sox play. At the end, they shake hands and go to the next game," said Caprio, who grew up in Narragansett and is a onetime Little League teammate of Lenihan.

When David Caprio and Lenihan squared off in 2002, lines were quickly drawn. Seeking his second term, Caprio, an increasingly vocal first-term representative from District 34 in Narragansett who had clashed with party leadership, was targeted by then-Speaker of the House John Harwood.
Harwood and state Democratic Party Chairman William J. Lynch threw their support behind Lenihan. Lynch replaced all five members of the Representative District 34 Committee, an elected body responsible for endorsing a candidate. The new slate endorsed Lenihan over the incumbent.

Caprio (whose father is a Providence Municipal Court judge and the face of the Caught in Providence television series) cried foul and accused the speaker of trying to engineer the election. In the end, Caprio received more than 70 percent of the vote and began a high profile effort to oust the speaker.
"The day after the election we shook hands," said Lenihan, who called Harwood's support unsolicited and the "the kiss of death."

Lenihan said he raised the idea of hosting a fundraiser with Caprio at another recent event at his restaurant. "I said he was a local son and we need to get behind him."
David Caprio applauded the offer: "It's very generous and we're grateful for it."

Frank Caprio said he was hoping to raise $2,000 to $3,000 at the $20-per-person event, which has been advertised in local newspapers, but was more focused on building a base of support in the area.

Caprio already had more than $400,000 in his campaign account including $210,000 in personal loans, according to his state filings. No one else has declared for the vacant treasurer post, which Paul J. Tavares must leave due to term limits. Caprio says his top priority is to make state spending figures quickly available online.
Gene Wills, the chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, who joins Lenihan as one of the six sponsors of the event, was one of a few prominent local democrats to support Caprio over Lenihan in 2002.

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