Warwick’s Embattled Director Oversaw $73,000 in OT in 18 Months to His Brother
GoLocalProv News Team
Warwick’s Embattled Director Oversaw $73,000 in OT in 18 Months to His Brother
Terry DiPetrillo, the director of the City of Warwick’s Water Division, has had a busy year and a half, and his brother Michael, who works under his supervision, has had a highly profitable run under the same timeframe.
Terry DiPetrillo pled guilty to assaulting a subordinate in his department in 2023. That incident was tied to an antisemitic "joke" and his slapping a city employee. The court ordered Terry DiPetrillo to have no contact with the victim.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHe was suspended by the city for ten days before being reinstated.
In addition, as GoLocal was the first to report in June, DiPetrillo, in a separate legal action, is alleged to have been involved in sexual harassment of a female employee under his supervision. That suit was filed in federal court and is currently pending.
Terry’s brother, Michael DiPetrillo, who is alleged in the lawsuit to have "thrown a power tool" at the plaintiff, is the big winner in Warwick’s Water Division in being assigned overtime.
Brother's Pay Days
According to documents secured by GoLocal, In 2023, on top of Michael DiPetrillo’s base salary, his received extra pay, included:
$33,632.22 in overtime
$12,253.29 in double
$124.04 in double-time extra
$465.15 in overtime for snow
The total in extra pay was $46,474.70.
With his overtime, Michael DiPetrillo was paid $127,061.81 in 2023.
It was over $15,000 more than any other Water Division employee was paid, including his brother.
And, 2024 is on pace to be an even better year for Michael DePetrillo — he has scored:
$18,503.90 in overtime
$7,200 in double
$1,401.84 in double-time extra
$238.95 in overtime for snow
The total in extra pay in 2024 is $27,343.79 to date. In total, Michael DiPetrillo has been paid $67,115.43 — more than $10,000 more than any other employee of the Division.
In less than 18 months, DiPetrillo has been paid nearly $200,000 in salary and overtime payments.
Efforts to reach Terry DiPetrillo about the assignment of overtime were unsuccessful.
Pending Federal Lawsuit - "Boys Club"
As GoLocal first unveiled in June, a former City of Warwick employee filed a federal lawsuit alleging she was sexually harassed during her time at the Warwick Water Division.
Plaintiff Bree Boulais filed the 50-page complaint in U.S. District Court.
According to the suit, it was [Terry] DiPetrillo’s behavior that sparked the suit and caused her damage.
One example of the harassment she received at the hands of DiPetrillo according to the lawsuit was "Terry DiPetrillo entered the room and, in front of their coworkers, commented, “Bree, I believe I left my socks by your bedside.”
Boulai says that she began working for the Warwick Water Department as a Water Project Supervisor in April 2021 and that, for the first year, she “did her job well, and there were no offensive events.”
“However, it was apparent that the leadership of the Water Department seemed to foster an environment of sexism and inappropriateness; to [Boulais] it felt like a ‘boys club’ based on how the men talked about women openly,” according to the lawsuit. “By the spring of 2022, the environment started to become hostile for [Boulais] because of her sex.”
Following the article, Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi told GoLocal that he would be returning all of the campaign donations he received from Terry DiPetrillo.
Picozzi told GoLocal, “I thought about it. I have instructed my campaign treasurer to return all donations to DiPetrillo. I am not sure what the amount is.”
DiPetrillo has given Picozzi five campaign donations between 2021 and 2023 for a total of $500.
DiPetrillo also gave to Picozzi’s predecessor, the late Mayor Joseph Solomon. DiPetrillo donated $900 to Solomon.
“I want to avoid that appearance of impropriety,” added Picozzi.
Councilman Speaks Out
After GoLocal's initial report about the lawsuit, Councilman Vinny Gebhart called for DiPetrillo's ouster.
“I am calling for the immediate dismissal of the Chief of the Warwick Water Division following deeply troubling allegations of misconduct revealed through local reporting and court filings. The Water Division's leadership has been accused of multiple instances of sexual harassment, making anti-Semitic jokes and statements, and was charged with assault after slapping an employee during one such anti-Semitic incident. This behavior is unacceptable and incompatible with the values of our community," said Gebhart.
"The residents of Warwick deserve transparency, accountability, and integrity from their public officials. Our city employees, especially those in crucial services like the Water Division, must feel secure, respected, and free from discrimination in their workplace. These allegations, if true, signify a profound failure in leadership and a serious breach of public trust," said Gebhart.