By Katherine Gregg

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Robert Weygand, the former 2nd District Congressman who has been out of office since an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in 2000, has decided against running for the 1st Congressional District seat that U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy is vacating.

Currently the vice president for administration/finance at the University of Rhode Island, Weygand, 61, issued a statement Thursday in which he said:

"I love Rhode Island, which is why I have taken the time to give serious consideration to running for the seat currently held by Congressman Kennedy. But after much conversation with my family and close friends I have decided that I will not be a candidate for the congressional seat in District 1.''

He said it would not be a stretch to move from South County back to the 1st Congressional district where he and his wife, Fran, grew up, "she in East Providence and me in Pawtucket.''

"Although it is not a requirement under Rhode Island law, I do believe that the member of Congress should reside in the district they represent,'' he added. "In considering a run for Congress some might say 'just find an apartment in the district and you can avoid that political problem'. We could use a family-owned residence in the East Bay in order to declare that I live in the district but that would not be honest with the voters.''

While opting out of the race, Weygand said he was struck by the bitterness in Washington when he was there for the state of the union address in January, at a pitch he said he did not even see during the Newt Gingrich and Clinton impeachment years.

"I have always prided myself in being a centrist Democrat who was able to work with both political parties. My political supporters have been Democrats, Republicans and independents. The thought of being a member of Congress again was very tempting because I believe we need a person reflective of mainstream Rhode Island,'' he said.

But having decided against running, Weygand said: "It is my firm hope that the next member of Congress from District 1 will be able to bridge the divide that separates our Congress.

Republican state Rep. John Loughlin, Providence Mayor David Cicilline and William Lynch, who chaired the state Democratic Party for 12 years, have announced their own candidacies for the seat.
sfully to unseat Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee in 2000.

The original version of this story was posted at 12:30 p.m. and updated at 12:31 and 12:38 p.m.