The Brad Dean - Gordon Fox "Connection"

The Brad Dean - Gordon Fox "Connection"

Recent press reports have tried to tie Brad Dean, the owner of a building in Cranston that recently was selected for a state contract for the Board of Elections, to his recent hiring of former Speaker of the House Gordon Fox.

The allegation -- made by a member of the press -- is that State House powerbrokers had made a deal.

However, this is not true -- as Dean's connection to Fox was me.

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In the summer of 2017, a member of Gordon Fox’s family called -- he had spent more than two years in prison and was eligible for work release. He needed, however, to find a job within the week. 

I have known Fox since our teenage years. We both grew up in the Mount Hope section of Providence. 

The individual said that no one in the State House would help him. They wouldn’t return phone calls.

I had not spoken to Fox in years — certainly not since his office was raided by the State Police and the FBI and then he was indicted  — nor during his time in jail.

Obviously, we could not hire him at GoLocal, but I said I would see if I knew anyone who could help him. I asked if there was any type of job that it had to be -- and they said no.

I went through my phone contacts and called Brad Dean, who had been a client of my advertising agency years earlier — before the launch of GoLocal. 

Dean owned warehouses and his companies did logistics.  I had not spoken to Dean in probably seven years or more.

When I contacted called Dean, I first said to him, “Please feel free to say no to what I am going to ask you.” He said he did not know who Fox was and asked if he was a ‘good guy’ and asked if the crimes he committed had anything to do with children.

I told Dean that for many years I thought Fox to be a decent person and that he got caught up in the “State House” life.  And, no, Fox’s crimes did not involve children — they were political and financial crimes.

Dean said he would give him an opportunity -- and he would fire him in a moment if he screwed up.

Fox was hired sometime later -- for a warehouse job.

Fox called and thanked me for the help.
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