By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News 

Republican Dr. Dan Harrop says he’ll withdraw from the Providence Mayor’s race, under one condition: if independent Buddy Cianci can produce evidence of a fine he alleges Harrop had to pay.

“If he can find a check I signed for a $66,000 fine…with my name on it, I will withdraw from the race and endorse him,” Harrop told WPRO News Thursday.

Cianci’s claim came during Tuesday night’s WPRI/Providence Journal debate, where Cianci implied Harrop, a licensed psychiatrist, was fined $66,000 by the Rhode Island Department of Health for unethical behavior.

“He could have attacked my school plan, my right to work plan, a variety of plans that I have, instead three minutes after his supposed apology for prior behavior, in which he evoked his dead daughter’s name, he begins a slanderous attack,” Harrop said.

Cianci’s campaign says the allegations against a company Harrop worked for are documented in a book called “Health Against Wealth:  HMOs and the Breakdown of Medical Trust,” by George Anders.

“Reference to Dr. Harrop’s direct financial interest in prioritizing cost-savings over quality care for a most vulnerable population—those seeking help for substance abuse problems and mental illness—is cited on page 161 of the book, and subsequent pages,”  Cianci’s spokeswoman, Beryl Kenyon, wrote in a statement.

An excerpt from the book provided by the Cianci campaign reads: “In mid-1995 UBS agreed to oust its top two Rhode Island executives, including Dr. Harrop, the medical director; to embark on a wide-ranging corrective program; and to pay $66,000 in fines and legal fees to the state.”

Harrop calls the book “a polemic against managed care [which] contains many errors.” He said he wasn’t fired as the book claims.

“The division I managed was reorganized and merged with another division for a variety of reasons,” he said. “If United Health paid a fine, I would not know.  I did not pay any fine, which is what the tape of the debate shows Mr. Cianci charging.”

But Cianci’s campaign said he never said Harrop had to pay the fine personally. During the debate Cianci began to say Harrop was fined, but corrected himself.

“Dr. Harrop was fined – the company he worked for was fined — $66,000 for putting profits before patients,” Cianci said about a quarter of the way into Tuesday night’s debate.

There has been speculation over whether Harrop will actually stay in the Providence mayor’s race following the exits of Brett Smiley and Lorne Adrain, but Harrop says he’s in it for the long haul – unless, that is, Cianci can back up his claims against Harrop with hard evidence.

“If Mr. Cianci can produce a copy of the check I supposedly wrote to pay this fine, which should be easily available in the state’s files, then I will withdraw from the race and endorse him,” he said. “If he cannot do this, and he cannot do this because the incident only happened in his imagination, then he should do Providence one last favor and withdraw from this race before his out of control behavior further damages the reputation of our great city.”

This story has been updated.