Salvatore Attacks GoLocal After Report Unveils He Has Not Made Decision on 2-Year-Old Fane Project

Salvatore Attacks GoLocal After Report Unveils He Has Not Made Decision on 2-Year-Old Fane Project

State House lobbyist and Providence City Council President David Salvatore is swiping back at GoLocal after the news organization wrote a story on Friday that raised questions about his dual role as a lobbyist for the RI Association of Realtors and his role as City Council President.

Salvatore has repeatedly refused to voice an opinion on the largest private development project in the city of Providence since the Providence Place Mall — the Fane Tower, a mammoth 46-story residential real estate project.

As GoLocal reported: the $3,000-a-month State House lobbyist has been on the Providence City Council since 2010 and the proposed Fane project is by far the single largest private investment into the city — the most since the Providence Place Mall was proposed in the early 1990s. GoLocal has tried to reach Salvatore repeatedly via email, phone, and text as well as through his City Hall staff, but he has refused comment on the project.

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During the time he refused any comment on the project, he was posting to Facebook about his campaign signs. Salvatore is seeking re-election. He has voted on Council's procedural issues on the matter.

“It is like Salvatore is hiding under the covers hoping the big bad Fane project will just go away,” said Councilman Luis Aponte, who raised early concerns about the initial three-tower design but has said the project could have a profound positive effect of on the Providence tax base.  The project would generate over $4 million a year in new revenue for the city. READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Monday GoLocal Asked Salvatore About Ethics Review

On Monday, GoLocal asked Salvatore’s office if he had secured an advisory opinion from the RI Ethics Commission regarding his dual role as a member of the city council and as a lobbyist for the realtors. His office did not respond to an email.

On Tuesday, Salvatore claimed that GoLocal should return city funds for posting meeting notices as contracted by the City Clerks office. The Contract began in January of 2016 and concluded in February of 2018.

“We were asked to help increase the awareness about city meetings, the opportunity to bid on matters before the board of contract and supply and all other council related public meetings. GoLocal posted upwards of 500 meeting notices online and promoted them on social media and in the eblast,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and Co-founder of GoLocalProv.

“It was a lot of work and when they discontinued the agreement in February, we did not complain about the agreement ending,” said Fenton.

For years, the Clerks office has only purchased ads in the Providence Journal and has spent hundreds of thousands in print.

Salvatore complains that the agreement should have gone through the Board of Contract and Supply.

“We don’t run the City Council or Clerk’s office. The City contracted with us. If they needed to go through a different process to execute the contract then they should have done so,” said Fenton. Since the contract concluded Salvatore has appeared on GoLocal LIVE and responded to numerous press inquiries until questions about his dual role and his position on Fane Tower were raised by GoLocal.

This article was first published: 7/24/18 11:49 AM