GoLocalProv Files Complaint With AG Against Council President Matos & Other Officials for Violation
GoLocalProv News Team
GoLocalProv Files Complaint With AG Against Council President Matos & Other Officials for Violation
In the complaint, GoLocal asserts that Matos announced the establishment of a “working group” relating to the regulation of the nightclub industry, held a meeting at Providence City Hall, and then, blocked public and media access to the meeting.
While the public and media were barred from attending the meeting, political donors to Matos and other members of the City Council and Mayor Jorge Elorza were allowed to attend the closed-door meeting.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBesides the political donors, the meeting was attended by a member of the City Solicitor’s office, Mario Martone as well as members of the City Council staff.
“Elected officials need to be protective of open access to government, not the violators,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and Co-Founder of GoLocal. "While we respect Matos' public service, we believe it was an illegal meeting by not being posted, and it further violated open meeting laws by then blocking media and public participation."
“This working group was announced by Council President Matos, she sent out a press release using city resources and staff -- and then had other city officials attend and political donors attended, but the media and the public were blocked — literally blocked from attending a ‘working group’ which is clearly defined as an open meeting,” said Fenton.
GoLocal reached out to Matos for comment on the complaint and she did not respond to requests for comment.
SEE THE LETTER TO THE AG AND MATOS’ PRESS RELEASE BELOW
Sean Lyness, Special Assistant Attorney General
Rhode Island Office of Attorney General
150 South Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
Dear Mr. Lyness,
GoLocalProv.com, a Rhode Island media company, files the following complaint asserting that Providence City Council President Sabina Matos and other city officials violated RI State Law by announcing a public “working group” and then prohibiting the public and the media from attending a meeting of the body.
Specifically, Matos previously announced the formation of this “working group” on Monday, September 9, 2019 through an official press release of her office prepared by a city employee and distributed through the City of Providence’s funded City Council press office.
See Press Release at Bottom of Complaint
Rhode Island General Law specifically prohibits state and local officials from circumventing the law by deeming a meeting a “working group.”
Ҥ 42-46-2. Definitions.
(1) "Meeting" means the convening of a public body to discuss and/or act upon a matter over which the public body has supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power. As used herein, the term "meeting" expressly includes, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, so-called "workshop," "working," or "work" sessions.
GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle attempted to attend the meeting of the working group on Wednesday, September 11 and was physically blocked access in two ways from reporting on the meeting held at Providence City Hall.
First, the meeting was hastily moved from a public meeting room to Matos’ council president’s private office when city officials saw Nagle.
Second, while representatives of special interests - clubs and realty groups were ushered into Matos’ office — Nagle was physically blocked from entering the meeting by Matos’ chief-of-staff Erlin Rogel.
Also in attendance in the meeting was Mario Martone, a member of the City solicitor’s office who has full knowledge of the state’s open meeting laws, as he staffs the City’s Board of Licenses.
In addition, to confirm that the meeting was a “working group” and to dispel any confusion of the purpose of the meeting. Matos was interviewed after the meeting and she told GoLocal that the meeting was a “working group.”
Please view videos of media/public access being blocked and the video interview with Matos when she confirms that the meeting was of the previously, and formally announced “working group.”
Matos and her staff intentionally and knowingly blocked the public and the media from attending a public meeting about the critical issue of public safety. Multiple members of the public have been killed tied to incidents relating to licensed clubs in the City of Providence.
Matos and other city officials chose to meet with high profile special interests who are significant political campaign donors -- and block media and public access.
As GoLocal often Facebook LIVES hearings of this type to thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of viewers, the public was denied access to this meeting.
In addition, Matos' staff told GoLocal that the meeting was closed as that was the judgment of the Providence City Solicitor.
Therefore, it is clear that there was coordinated malfeasance by Matos and the legal department and other high ranking city officials to block access to the meeting. These elected officials and high ranking staffers have been trained or should have been trained in the state’s open meeting laws. Thus, the Rhode Island Attorney General should be rigorous in enforcing a clear violation by high ranking officials.
We look forward to your attention to this complaint and will provide and additional information requested.
Sincerely,
Joshua N. Fenton
CEO and Co-Founder
READ PRESS RELEASE HERE:
Contact:
Billy Kepner, Deputy Chief of Staff: Communications
O: 401-521-7477
M: 607-331-9806
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City Council Calls for Review of Board of Licenses and Calls for the Creation Of a Working Group to Explore Nightlife Culture in Providence
PROVIDENCE, RI (September 5, 2019)…The City Council tonight announced initiatives to review the processes and procedures to review the Board of Licenses, and to also set up a working group to address the issues surrounding nightlife that we are facing in Providence.
This Council will be engaging the services of a local law firm to look at the processes and procedures of the Board of Licensees from the top down. In 2016 the Council engaged former Attorney General Jeffrey Pine to do a comprehensive overview, and this is a continuation of that process. In addition, the Council is also pulling together a working group of nightlife business owners, public safety officials, and elected officers to come together to discuss best practices.
The Pine Report, as it has been called, was compiled to assess the Board of Licenses’ adjudication process and to equip the board members with tools for best practices.
Council President Sabina Matos stated, “We must provide a framework for our nightlife businesses to operate with the know-how of how to handle and deescalate issues that might arise at their establishments. Working with Anthony Santurri, a pioneer in Providence’s nightlife scene, the Council believes that we can find solutions to the challenges that our City is currently facing. I commend my colleagues for making real and quantifiable change in our City.”
“As a freshman Councilor I advocated for a balance of opportunities for business owners and the quality of life of our residents,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “The Council initiated a complete review of the Board of Licenses and it is apparent to me that we need to do more. With the recent uptick in violence associated around clubs in our City I believe we are ready to revisit these issues. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make changes that benefit businesses and the community alike.”
The Council has been outspoken on its desire to promote a healthy business environment throughout the City, and one that serves the needs of neighborhood residents. More and more there are neighborhood restaurants that are also operating as entertainment venues at night, and the result has been an onslaught of issues affecting the quality of life for residents.
The working group to review nightlife best practices will come together in the coming weeks. It is the Council’s hope to engage as many constituencies as possible.
For more information visit us online at council.providenceri.gov.
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