Providence Journal photo / W. Zachary Malinowski
A big crowd at La Casona Restaurant in Central Falls awaits the results from the mayoral election. Get updates from Journal reporter Bill Malinowski via his Twitter account @BillMalinowski
Central Falls voters are deciding who will be the first newly elected chief executive in nearly a decade at a time the state is preparing to return control to local officials after 21/2 years of receivership.
Journal reporter Bill Malinowski reports that more than 1,000 voters -- mail and polling-place votes combined -- had already cast ballots by 5 p.m..
At 4 pm, about 775 CF residents had cast votes in the special mayoral election. Another 350 mail ballots have been cast @projo
— Bill Malinowski (@BillMalinowski) December 11, 2012
The candidates in the special election could not be more different. City Councilman James A. Diossa, the son of Colombian immigrants, versus Joseph P. Moran III, the former police chief with close ties to ex-Mayor Charles D. Moreau who is heading to federal prison for corruption after nine years in office.
The polls closed at 8 p.m. Results will be published on providencejournal.com as soon as they are available.
This post was initially published at 5:30 p.m. and updated at 8:10 p.m.