EXCLUSIVE: Special GOP Meeting to Address Financial Irregularities

EXCLUSIVE: Special GOP Meeting to Address Financial Irregularities

State Republicans will be made aware of widespread financial irregularities within the Party at a special State Central Committee meeting set to take place Thursday evening, GoLocalProv has learned.

The details of what exactly will be discussed have been shrouded in secrecy as GOP officials have scrambled to prevent information from leaking out before the meeting, but several sources familiar with the situation say new Party Chairman Mark Zaccaria will brief members on “financial mistakes” made by previous leadership, including former Chairman Gio Cicione, who is currently serving as campaign manager for Congressional candidate Brendan Doherty.

The mistakes have to do with poor record keeping and improper reporting habits that date back beyond Ciccone’s time as Chairman, but were exacerbated during his tenure. The Party, which currently has $67,065.98 according to campaign finance reports, has long struggled with a lack of financial resources compared to the Democratic Party.

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This is a Process

According to the RIGOP’s events calendar on its website, Zaccaria called the meeting “for the purpose of briefing the committee on important administrative matters.” When asked about what will be discussed, the new Chairman was vague, but he did acknowledge that that committee will be made aware of the state of Party’s finances.

“We’re in the process of looking at things,” he said. “We’re just making sure our records are in order with two regulatory groups. There isn’t much else to say right now.”

Zacarria did not wish to delve into specifics until the Thursday meeting. Asked Monday about his role in any bookkeeping errors, Cicione said “my understanding is that it was a longstanding issue over the terms of a number of chairs, but you’d really have to ask [Mark Zaccaria] for the details.”

On Tuesday, Cicione said he had nothing to do with any errors that may have been made.

“No – it had to do with the Treasurer’s office – nothing I was really involved in,” he wrote in an e-mail to GoLocalProv.

Handed a Mess

But one State Central Committee member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he expects Cicione to have some explaining to do following the meeting.

“Look, everyone knows that when Ken McKay took over, he was handed a mess by Gio,” the source said. “They liked to play fast and loose with the little money they had, but they always cried poverty. [Ciccone] always tried to talk his way out of it when anyone questioned the finances [of the Party].”

McKay, who served as Governor Carcieri’s Chief of Staff during his first term in office, was elected Chairman of the Party last March, but resigned in November to become a senior advisor to Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

Zacarria, a former Congressional candidate, defeated Rhode Island Republican Assembly President Raymond McKay and Tina McKendall to become Chairman last month.

No Love Lost

There is no love lost between members of the State Central Committee and Cicione, their former leader. In 2010, the Committee, comprised of Republican city and town chairmen as well as other officials, attempted to offer a vote no confidence in Cicione. The vote ultimately failed by a 48-75 vote.

During his tenure, Cicione butted heads with many of the more conservative-leaning members of the Party, who had hoped to establish closed primary elections that would have prevented Independents from participating. The members also questioned Cicione;s handling of the Party’s 2010 election strategy.

Cicionereemerged in local politics last year when Doherty named him campaign manager for his 1st District Congressional race. That decision helped further divide the Party, which is split between the more moderate Doherty and conservative-favorite John Loughlin, who nearly defeated Congressman David Cicilline in 2010.

Ciccone’s critics have ripped him for damaging the Party beyond repair.

“The Party is effectively moribund. We have no money in the Republican coffers, so I’d say it’s moribund,” former State GOP parliamentarian John Clarke told GoLocalProv last October.

Not a Witch Hunt

Despite the animosity between Committee members and Cicione, the Thursday meeting “isn’t just some witch hunt,” another source with direct knowledge of the situation said.

“We’re trying to build the Party up, not break it down. No one wants a black eye heading into election season. But some things need to be cleaned up.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: The orginal version of this story misspelled Gio Cicione's name.

 

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