FBI looks into Fire Department allegations

By ETHAN HARTLEY
Posted 12/11/18

By ETHAN HARTLEY New controversy surrounding the Warwick Fire Department, this time regarding the omission of a contractual provision in 2015 negotiations regarding the monetization of unused vacation days, has caused another wave of scrutiny to crash

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FBI looks into Fire Department allegations

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New controversy surrounding the Warwick Fire Department, this time regarding the omission of a contractual provision in 2015 negotiations regarding the monetization of unused vacation days, has caused another wave of scrutiny to crash over a department that is already the target of multiple inquiries from city officials, angered public whistleblowers and outside auditors.

However, on Friday, Mayor Joseph Solomon made a statement that made it apparent that these forces are not the only ones currently taking an active interest into the activities of the Warwick Fire Department.

“No one has contacted me directly, but I heard there is an outside agency looking at these issues,” Solomon said, explaining he couldn’t confirm exactly which agency he was referring to at this time. “I haven't been contacted directly, however if anybody comes to me from that agency, I would not deny access to any agency that needs access.”

Although Solomon couldn’t confirm, the “outside agency” could be a reference to the FBI, as they may be looking into whether or not the Warwick Fire Department has committed acts that may fall under the purview of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Another source that cannot be identified confirmed the FBI was actively making inquiries.

The Rhode Island State Police, through their director of public information Laura Meade Kirk, confirmed on Monday that the state police was not actively investigating the Warwick Fire Department at this time, but the FBI Field Office in Boston, per the department’s policy, could not comment.

“In keeping with DOJ policy, the FBI cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,” the office reported in a statement.

It is a complex series of allegations at the heart of this issue and, with potential fiscal implications going all the way to the federal level, a recap of these is essential.

Sick time overpayment allegations

The subject of an ongoing investigative audit ordered by the Warwick City Council and being carried out by the Providence CPA firm Yarlas, Kaplan, Santilli Moran (YKSM) is an allegedly organized system that has enabled firefighters, through various means such as swapping shifts without oversight and utilizing light duty status, to preserve sick days, which can be cashed in monthly once firefighters have banked 140 unused days. The practice, whistleblowers Rob Cote and Ken Block allege, has resulted in significant overpayments of unused sick time – to the tune of nearly $250,000 between 2015 and 2017.

Further, in October, it was revealed that the system allowing firefighters to cash unused sick days on a monthly basis instead of an annual one – and a bookkeeping practice that was put in place to supposedly keep firefighters from losing any of their contractually allotted 20 sick days to the complicated changes in math that this system creates – was enacted through a so-called “side deal” in 2013 between the fire department, its union and the city under former mayor Scott Avedisian.

This system has enabled firefighters to inflate their sick time banks above the maximum 140 days which, according to Bill Lloyd – who was the fire union president during the time the side agreement, or addendum, was created – is merely a bookkeeping effort to ensure that firefighters receive the correct amount of time off each year; which calculates to 1.66 sick days a month, and 20 for the whole year.

In the system, firefighters with 140 days banked are entitled to cash out 75 percent of the 1.66 days each month they don’t call out sick, which equates to a payout worth 1.25 days at their particular salary. The remaining .41 days, however, is where things get particularly complicated. Under the side agreement, the .41 is rolled back into the sick bank – a move that the union says is necessary to correctly log the number of sick days, but critics say is the crucial cog allowing for improper payments.

Making matter worse, the financial sheets used to track these complex numbers that are also used to generate the payroll for an entire department of over 200 firefighters have been revealed to be kept using pencil and paper. Critics say this shows the possibility for mathematical errors is clear and, by extension, overpayments that are created by sick time not being properly subtracted from banks is likewise possible.

Solomon put an end to this tricky mathematical system when he learned of it shortly after assuming the mayor’s office, leading to a grievance from the fire department that currently awaits arbitration. He said he was hopeful to receive the report from the council investigative audit soon, but there has been no indication as to how soon it would be completed.

Unused vacation days

The second, newest allegation first broke by the Providence Journal last week involves a separate contractual provision regarding unused vacation days – which until 2002 could be banked and paid out when a firefighter retires, according to current union president Michael Correiro.

During contractual negotiations for the 2015-18 collective bargaining agreement, it has become apparent that a provision regarding the value of these unused vacation days was left out of the tentative agreement that was ultimately voted on by the Warwick City Council and the fiscal note that informed the council of the financial implications of the proposed contract.

Within the 2015 tentative agreement (TA), acquired by the Beacon, there are notes regarding each proposed change from the prior agreement, which started in 2012. Among these changes were increases in the value of holiday pay and unused sick time – from a value of 1/5 a firefighter’s weekly salary per day, to 1/4 value per day; a 20 percent increase.

However, no provision was included in the TA that showed unused vacation time would increase in value in the same way, nor was it included in the fiscal note prepared by then-finance director Ernest Zmyslinski (who did not respond to an inquiry for this article). Regardless, when the 2015-18 collective bargaining agreement was signed by then-Mayor Avedisian, the unused vacation payout provision had changed in value from 1/5 to 1/4.

“If you can't rely on a fiscal note before you vote, what good is that?” said Council President Steve Merolla, who at the time of the contract being approved was the only council member to vote against the TA. “All of the council members were deceived.”

Merolla said he questioned whether the contract could even be considered legal, considering it was not negotiated with all pertinent information given to the City Council. While he didn’t claim to know why the provision was left out or how it made its way into the final version, he was certain that the negotiation was not done in good faith.

“I can't gauge why people don't tell the truth. All I can tell you is that they didn't,” he said.

Mayor Solomon, as originally reported by the Providence Journal, confirmed that he ceased any payouts of unused vacation days once he learned of the contractual inconsistencies.

It is not clear how much money was paid out under the increased valuation for vacation days at this time, but as many as 15 firefighters had retired as of budget hearings this spring, with another 17 at the time reported to be preparing for retirement this year. It was unclear as of press time how many firefighters had retired since the 2015 in total. A call to the fire department administrative offices went unreturned on Monday.

Questions remain unanswered

At the core of these most recent allegations is a crucial question that remains without a clear answer as of this time: Who physically changed the language from the 2012-15 contract – where the vacation provision read 1/5 – to the 2015-18 language that showed the same provision at 1/4?

“I am still trying to find out who drafted that document, who was involved in drafting that document and who proofread and signed that document,” said Solomon.

Legal counsels for the city and the union representing the collective bargaining unit up for a new contract normally handle negotiations, along with the mayor, and then the agreed upon terms are brought to the city council and the union membership for votes, usually around the same time frame, according to Lloyd and Carreiro. Once the contract is approved by both sides, it is officially drafted into the new collective bargaining agreement and signed by the mayor, department head and corresponding union president, with a legal counsel as witness.

Peter Ruggiero, who would have been the legal counsel for the city side during these negotiations as city solicitor, has not responded to multiple phone calls requesting comment for this story. Former mayor Avedisian has largely deferred comment to Ruggiero, but did say that he didn’t find reason to believe the vacation day value omission in the 2015 contract negotiations was a concerted effort to subvert proper protocol.

Avedisian said he didn’t have access to the draft agreement that led to the tentative agreement, which would have notes written on it reflecting proposed changes, as he left those in the mayor’s office when he stepped down to become the CEO of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority in May.

However, Correiro said that he does have the draft document, which has the markups showing the change in holiday pay, sick time and vacation time value.

“The city was definitely aware of it,” Carreiro said.

Former union president William Lloyd further emphasized that any and all final changes made in a collective bargaining agreement would be finalized by legal counsel for the city administration, not by the fire union.

“The city side is the one who actually does written changes into the contract,” he said. “It's not like I get the contract and I write whatever I want in it and then the mayor signs it.”

Carreiro updated on Monday that the union had spoken with their legal counsel about possibly filing a grievance regarding Solomon’s decision to halt the unused vacation payments, and that they were in active discussions with Solomon about the situation. As of press time, however, no decisions had been made.

If they choose to grieve the decision, it would add a third separate category of grievances filed by the fire union in relation to disputes over contractual provisions. One relates to pension benefits for new firefighter hires since 2015, and the other relates to the aforementioned stoppage of carrying over sick days involved in the sick day payout process.

Solomon said that his decisions are indicative of his no-nonsense policy of correcting what he perceives to be improper dealings of the Avedisian administration.

“What I'm dealing with now is a contract that is improper and that was signed by Mayor Scott Avedisian,” he said. “I'm trying to correct any room for error during the Solomon administration going forward.”

“If an accident happens once, accidents happen,” he continued, adding that he would be closely re-examining the other two contracts for municipal workers and police that were negotiated by Avedisian but given final signatures and approval by Solomon shortly after he took office. “When I start to see repetitious events, it sparks my curiosity to look even closer.”

Solomon said that, if he is unable to get information necessary to complete his own investigations into the contracts, he may have to “bring in an outside agency to extract information I need to be produced,” possibly alluding to contacting the state police.

“We're really going to be tightening up the system,” he said.

Comments

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  • Justanidiot

    fake news. more waste of the fbi's time and money.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • PaulHuff

    Sure they are.....

    Is this what passes for journalism these days? The Feds are going to come in and investigate a city over contract misunderstandings? Laughable.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Residents are watching, and they are NOT all stupid.

    Better late than never, its about time this problem was addressed. I wonder if they'll find a cracked exit light?

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • WarwickFreemason

    As a person who mostly leans to the right on the political spectrum, I read stuff like this and it reminds me of why I dislike unions so much. There is just no need for them anymore, all they do is make goods and services more expensive for the consumer and the taxpayer. Move to the southern states where unions are not as abundant the same goods and services are considerably cheaper for the average person / family.

    I am and will always be (even if I live in Florida) Warwick Freemason

    The Taxpayer's Freemason

    So Mote it Be

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    WwkVoter, I don't think it will take the FBI to figure out what happened. The union says it has their copy of the agreement, and apparently Mayor Solomon has to look for it.

    This seems to follow a pattern by Mayor Solomon of looking to use outside agencies to review the city's operations, while strongly hinting that those reviews would uncover some kind of mismanagement by former Mayor Avedisian.

    I'd rather collect the information first and then draw conclusions, rather than the opposite.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    I find this article completely irresponsible. Not one person from the city has been contacted by the FBI yet they say they “heard”. And the beacon headline acts like they raided city hall and the fire station. Will Ethan Hartley write an article when it’s deemed that no one is investigating contract language. This paper is a joke. Just like Merolla and Cote who called the FBI in the first place.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    One comment finds the article too soft, another (clearly a ff sympathiser in denial) too hard. Must be done just right.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    So here's the way I see it.

    The firefighters were always allowed a certain number of sick and personal days. That total number doesn't seem to have changed.

    Then they asked Mayor Avedisian for a clarification to the process without increasing the total number of days. Avedisian allowed a new way to calculate the days off. That was Avedisians call to make. Maybe he got it right. Maybe he got it wrong. Maybe his decision just needs to be tweaked.

    One thing is for sure. This investigation is going to cost the taxpayers a fortune and this question has to be asked: If there was SUCH wrongdoing, how come no one; not the State Police; not the FBI; NO ONE, has even telephoned the current Mayor? That lack of action alone, suggests that this is much ado about (next to) nothing. In the meantime, no one can say that Warwick doesn't have one of the finest fire departments in the nation. No one, of course, except Rob Cote who barged into my office last week, ordered me to read The Providence Journal, then swore at me and flipped me off when I refused.

    In my opinion, Cote is the one who needs to be investigated by the FBI. He has admitted to stealing many of my campaign signs. He has viciously lied about me repeatedly, acting just like a henchman for then candidate-for-Mayor Joe Solomon, who was also the Acting Mayor at that time. Someone who looks JUST LIKE COTE, was filmed stealing my large, expensive signs, but Acting Mayor Solomon's Warwick Police said the image wasn't clear enough. I didn't believe that. Someone trespassed on my property and vandalized my 4' x 8' sign leaving a fingerprint that was clear-as-a-bell to me, but again, Acting Mayor Solomon's Warwick Police said it wasn't "clear enough" to be compared to Cote's fingerprints. I didn't believe that either. Now Cote has barged into my office uninvited and unwelcomed. I didn't bother to even report that one to Mayor Solomon's Warwick Police. I didn't believe they would even ask him if he did it. Someone NEEDS to stop this maniac before his actions cause real harm. Maybe it needs to be the FBI.

    In the meantime Justanidiot and PaulHuff got it right in my opinion. These charges are "fake news", a "waste of time" and "laughable".

    Merry Christmas everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    And predictably, corrente once again proves why he was so unsuitable for office as to be blown out by the voters teice on a row. Every town has one. The Village Idiot.

    PS if u ever put csmpaign signs up again in illegal locations or times, cote wont take them because I will first. They are considered LITTER under the law as well as campaign law violations.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Cat2222

    Looking forward to hearing the outcome from the "rumored" FBI investigation. The important thing is that the practice is suspended until the conclusion. I applaud Solomon for wanting to ensure no taxpayer money goes out the door and that the system is tightened up.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Clearly, Corrente's prescription needs to be refilled.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Oh yeah,

    Just to clarify the "Delusions of Corrente". (should be the title of a brain injury)

    I did not barge into his office, I opened the door, never entered and asked if he saw the front page of the journal. He look up and said "no". I said "read it, then you can apologize". He then offered choice language. By the way, i recorded the 12 second interaction. This guy has medical maladies that to this date have never been diagnosed. But it is comical.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    This story is a mess and it's starting to look like there will be no good outcome. If the FBI finds no criminal activity, then what? The provisions will be fought in arbitration for a long time, the relationship between the WFD, the City Council and the Solomon administration will be damaged. An investigation is not an indictment so while the FBI investigating is a very serious matter, until charges are filed there is no criminal conduct.

    (Rick Corrente is a fool. He lets his personal dislike of Rob Cote sway his opinion and judgement rather than looking at the facts. This is another glaring example of why Rick Corrente is a TWO TIME LOSER and will NEVER be elected Mayor of Warwick. I on the other hand have never been Rob's biggest fan, I think he would even agree we've had heated back and forths in this comment section. I've called him out plenty when I thought he was wrong, even on this very topic. I am a big enough person to admit when I am wrong and so far on this subject I have been wrong.)

    If these allegations are found to be true it would be very damaging to this city. That is why the reporting on this matter needs to be incredibly delicate. I believe the union leadership let these guys down for the last decade plus and its starting to show. I think the leadership sold their members a bill of goods promising sick time buy back, increased benefits etc and the membership bought it. When Cote launched his allegations I believe the leadership told members there was nothing to it because of these "side deals". As a member of the union if your pay is increasing, benefits have improved and your pension is strong why would you question your leadership? Are you automatically assuming your union leadership is committing some kind of illegal activity? In my opinion there are alot of firefighters in that boat. If Rob disagrees I'm sure he'll tell me but that is my opinion. No guy on the job knows he's being paid ot by the feds...I just don't believe that.

    The next few weeks are very important. I hope the reporting continues to tread lightly. Being first isn't as important as being right. For the sake of this city I hope the truth is exposed...whatever that might be.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Scal,

    There is no FBI investigation and I will stand by that 100%. It was completely irresponsible for Ethan Hartley to print this story. All hear say. The entire article states that someone “heard” there was an investigation. The media can really stir the shit to sell papers. Amazing.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    And to be quite honest I would welcome and hope that they do come in, please call the state police as well. Once and for all this would be cleared up. And Rob Cote and Steve Merolla would be shown to be frauds wasting more taxpayer money on false charges.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    This has been in the news, multiple outlets, and just this week FRONT PAGE of the Providence Journal AND their editorial. WE KNOW they destroyed evidence (public records) launched a harassing "fire inspection", tried to cost a well respected member of the community his job, and more. I am an average resident who is trying to stay neutral, but as it stands now, this situation desperately calls for hard investigation. Any FF's who are actually good Americans and not stealing from us taxpayers or harassing anyone for asking questions, they should keep their jobs. The rest can go find something else to do. The investigation will put each one into one category or the other. THAT will be tax money well spent.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Jim, to be clear: I don't like the fact the story is single sourced. I'm not sure that is ever enough to run a story. Atleast Ethan included the word "source" instead of passing this off as "source(s)". I'm sure he knew he would be taking heat when he put that in the article.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Clearly there are oversight problems in the WFD and in the past administration. Can we all agree on that?

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Captain I’ll say again that there in no FBI investigation. I give you kudos for pushing this story beyond oblivion. But it will run out of steam at some point. You have done a decent job of making all of us look bad. But in the end when the paper stop reporting and you have gone as far as you can with ZERO evidence. Sorry You life is this crappy.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Jim (anonymous person),

    How do you know there is no investigation? What factual evidence do you have to counter Solomon's claim that he had heard an agency is asking questions? And what do you say about Solomon's comments today that confirmed manipulation? His words!

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Captain,

    You just answered my question. Thank you.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    jim with all due respect, until this turned up, wfd had a fine reputation. if cote "made you all look bad" it was not without help from yourselves, with the cushman letter, destroyed records, and general intransigence, and a made-for-tv "fire inspection!". at some point you may find yourself saying "we should have just come clean" and owned up to the bogus side-agreement, and shoddy records and said "we'll cooperate in a fix". just because you hate the watch dog himself doesnt make it ok to stonewall on what everyone by now can see is a big problem.

    on the other hand, if nothing else, this has forced the new mayor to reform and open up the contracting process with a "portal" and "watermarks". those are good now lets see in five years how updated and accessible that "contracts portal" still is...

    again I'm just a taxpayer with no other dog in this fight.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    I love how you both say “IF NOTHING ELSE”. You two are just throwing crap against the wall to see what sticks. One minute wire fraud, RICO, etc... then you say IF NOTHING ELSE things may change. You don’t sound to serous about your accusations. I am fully serious when I THERE IS NO FBI INVESTIGATION.

    Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    We all know now that people are tapeing. I gave my wife my word not to say anything in this mayor race. Rats

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Cat2222

    How can you make the statement that there is zero evidence? The research performed by Mr. Cote and Mr. Block based on the records did, in fact, produce evidence that the shift swapping and OT pay were being handled outside the scope of the signed contract. Both sides can fight it out regarding the legality and who approved what but the fact still remain that it was happening without the approval of the council. Add that to the documents that were "tossed out" (destroyed) in error, faulty record keeping, intimidation tactics by the fire marshal, etc. I would have to state rather emphatically that there is plenty of proof to bring in the State Police and FBI to investigate.

    Cote and Block didn't bring all this up to make you "look bad". They didn't spend hours of their time and their own money merely to cast a shadow on the department. There is a huge problem here and it needs to be resolved.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • schwanee

    It’s about time that the Fire Dept 2 million dollars over budget year after year finally get its just do. Year in and year out people at the budget meeting, the taxpayers of Warwick have questioned this, with little or no answers. I can only hope that light has been shined on the people that have been abusing this and stealing time from the taxpayers, first have to pay it back and second fired, third will be charge for doing so. O it would be sweet Justice.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • GoodJake

    These are strange times.... Trumps president and Firefighters are the enemy until proven not. One thing for sure is Cote has a thing for the Firefighters regardless. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5o2ihDCBzIA

    Crazy..

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Cat, that is precisely what I’m saying. If you saw ALL of the information not just what those two are peddling you would have a better idea. I will wait for all of this to come out. Eventually it will. But just to clarify things THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO FBI INVESTIGATION ONGOING IN GBE CITY OF WARWICK. And Ethan Hartley should be ashamed of his incomplete work.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Cat,

    Another example of shoot the messenger. By the way, the new guy Jim, is formerly known as Daydreambeliever. You can see the same incorrect use of spelling and grammar. He was also Union thug, StevieD and others. What I dont understand is - Did they all of a sudden go deaf when yesterday on the air Solomon made a statement that there was wrong doing and he stopped the practice? Are they ignoring the fact that that the contract stipulations were manipulated? Are they ignoring the fact that the council president came on the air and stated that the department lied and altered the contract?

    All I did was to present what I read from official documents. I apologize for the rest of the nit wits that were failed by the school system and were not taught how to read and perform simple math.

    Jim "KNOWS FOR A FACT" yet produces not a shred of evidence. Jokester !!

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Bob_Cushman

    Back in 2007 in my first year on the council I discovered that Warwick Ordinances stipulated that the Fire Chief had to be hired from an existing firefighter within the department.

    Researching the issue where overtime cost were constantly over budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars, along with other line items such as sick pay buy backs also over budget, I felt that whoever was chief had a conflict of interest in that they were supervising there own union members who they served with and would never take any measures to rein in these problems.

    I knew then that the mayor needed the ability to be able to hire the best possible candidate as chief whether they worked in or out of the department. As a result I proposed a controversial change to the hiring ordinance that eliminated that language.

    To say that the WFD opposed this change was an understatement. However the ordinance passed.

    Its interesting that Mayor Avedisian continued with the revolving door practice of promoting new chiefs from within and with many taxpayers looking into the over spending practices of the WFD, the intimidation tactics continued.

    To restore confidence in the department and enact major reforms, Mayor Solomon needs to utilize this provision and hire the next Chief from outside of the city and even from out of state.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Scal??!!!?!!!,

    Where have you been ? The mental hospital?? The morgue?? Jail??

    I openly and repeatedly accused you of being a henchman for Joe Solomon and right after the election , you disappeared! It seems like your work was done. I guess you WERE a henchman huh! What other possible explanation for you disappearing is there? I hope you were compensated well, because you were relentless right up to the elections. You repeated lies and false accusations (even when I proved them to be false) about me every day until the election was over. Then nothing! The henchman's' work was done. Right?

    And Scal, we know each other well enough. You don't have to put your comments about me in parentheses. Everyone knows your role as a henchman, so just go for it. You have my permission.

    One complement though; you absolutely nailed it in the first paragraph of your comment and I ask ALL READERS to re-read your entire first paragraph. It's spot on! Honest! The truth is that this IS A MESS, and there WON'T be any "good outcome". And I will add that Warwick taxpayers will have Rob Cote to thank for all that expense and turmoil. A mountain of bad press over a molehill of misinformation.

    Well done Scal1024, you're still an anonymous coward of a critic, but for once, I completely agree with you (in paragraph one).

    Merry Christmas Scal1024,

    Merry Christmas everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Dear Jim and Mayor Dumbness,

    Just wondering, do you like my tie?

    https://www.wpri.com/fox-providence/dan-yorke-state-of-mind/1211-warwick-watchdog-rob-cote-talks-firefighter-contracts-on-state-of-mind/1652689966

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Captain,

    THERE IS NO FBI INVESTIGATION. If you say there is then you are 100% lying. That is fact.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • JohnStark

    Actually, I'm sure that both Mr. Cote and Mr. Block have other things to occupy their time. And neither the FBI nor state police are inclined to investigate cases that are a waste of their time. I agree with Freemason in that public sector unions have outlived their usefulness and necessity by a few decades. But, much like teachers' unions, it would appear that the firefighters have discovered a way to exploit sick days and did so many years ago. What probably started as a one-time 'understanding' between two firefighters has become a full-blown entitlement for the entire department, and anyone who questions it (e.g. Cote/Block) is simply evil. Clearly there have been many wink-winks and nod-nods over the years. So far, I think Solomon's handled it about as well as could be expected. That said, this is clearly Warwick's version of The Swamp.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    master mayer, most uf us take on the mantle of anonimouseness in the tradition of our founding fathers

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Cat2222

    Jim,

    If the FBI isn't investigating then they darn well should be. The State Police as well. What evidence do anyone need other than the fact that side deal wasn't signed off by the council? The practice was put in place and has remained in place until the Mayor put a stop to it. It would have been ongoing under the radar if Cote and Block hadn't brought it to the light of day. Once they started to, the WFD and Union started attacking them left and right. They even tried to send the fire marshal to try to intimidate and find something to write Block up. You can yell it from the roof tops all day/night long and it still won't change the fact that something underhanded is at play. I don't think the regular rank and file are out to screw the city of Warwick but I certainly do believe the administration and union are trying to milk the system for as much as they can get after they were faced with 2012's Two Tier pension system. The city can't take anymore. The taxpayer can't pay anymore and the WFD union is fighting tooth and nail to keep something that wasn't legal to begin with! Astonishing!

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Cat, you can argue about the legality of those agreements. But note this there are many more that Cote and Block are nite mentioning. Agreements about holiday give backs, 5% pay cuts, recruit school time, etc. these all benefited this city and if you want to argue that they are illegal there is much more money that will need to be repaid by this city. My point is Rob Cote and Ken Block are picking and choosing what to display. They better be careful what they wish for. They may have cost the city a lot more than they thought. We will see. I have the whole picture as most of you don’t.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Just wait till the vacation payout number is released. I’m hearing the hundreds of thousands of dollars Rob Cote claims are a bit off. 5th grad math Robbie...

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    BREAKING NEWS

    CITY SOLICITOR PETER RUGGIERO JUST TERMINATED. For his role in the scandal that I had to make public.

    Your welcome

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Also,

    I have just gotten intel and found out who Jim is.

    Jim was formally Daydreambeliever, who was formally Unionthug, who was formally SteveD. He has bashed me relentlessly over the years and has harrassed several of us good citizens. He is a Warwick fire fighter that is stationed at station 4 on Sandy Ln. Many years ago I was very friendly with him when he worked at Bay Marina.

    So Steve C. you have underestimated my abilities to do intel work. I have all of your posts, your IPO, and you and I will talk. As a gentlemen, I will come to see you. By the way, when you had the chance to speak candidly with me at the car show at the Elks this summer, why didnt you? Just keep hiding behind you multiple fake screen names and keep posting from the fire dept.

    As soon as you deny this, you will be outed. By the way Steve, our friend from Bay Marina, you remember him Allen W. He is living large in St. Thomas. Just sayin.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Dammit your good. Captain you should have been a detective. Your investigative skills are impeccable. Lol

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Daydreambeliever

    Captain Ricky Bobby sorry on your intel but I’m still here and this is the only screen name I use.

    I just want an opinion of some on here whether they agree with what you do or don’t.

    You want to go on talk radio that’s up to you. You go to city council meetings that’s on you.

    However is it necessary to harass the chief of the fire department relentlessly daily with emails regarding APRA requests. Yes I know you can but every damn day?

    Also back on October was it necessary to stop by HQ and drop off a the Journal with a sticky note saying “ The cover up is worth than the crime”? You have it to the clerk not enough balls to give tonghe Chief.

    Last week you left another journal at the clerks desk with a stick note that said “For the Chief thief” again no balls to hand deliver to him.

    Tuesday morning you were so inclined to leave the Beacon at the front door so when he arrives for work he saw it first. Again no balls to hand deliver it.

    Why do you always when you see him walking across the parking lot at HQ pull in and start berating him about your emails and APRA requests? Granted ball there but your in a running vehicle.

    I’m asking for the commenters on here both good and bad is this necessary?

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Daydreambeliever

    Sorry for the grammatical errors I’m using my cell phone and it autocorrected.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Hmm, Public records requests every day? Here they are: Sure looks like every day to me!

    MISSING RECORD OF SICK LEAVE DOCUMENTS

    Wed, Jul 18, 2018 9:16 am

    To:lyn.pagliarini + 12 more Details

    Dear Lyn,

    Please consider this email as my request to inspect records under the following statute:

    (a) Except as provided in § 38-2-2(4), all records maintained or kept on file by any public body, whether or not those records are required by any law or by any rule or regulation, shall be public records and every person or entity shall have the right to inspect and/or copy those records at such reasonable time as may be determined by the custodian thereof.

    During the visual inspection of the binders containing the record of sick leave documents, on July 17th, 2018, it has been noted that numerous records of sick leave are missing. During that inspection I asked the assistant chief where the documents were and he replied "I have no idea". I respectfully request that these documents be located and made available for visual inspection during the week of July 23. Whether these documents were removed due to retirement or other reasons, please have the permanent records available on that date. If for any reason these documents have been destroyed please identify why. I have enclosed a breakdown of each employees missing information in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

    Thank you,

    Rob Cote

    2015 missing record of sick leave on the following employees. 42% of the data is missing from the binders

    ANTONELLI, RAYMOND

    ARMSTRONG, EDWARD

    BELLAVANCE, RICHARD

    BROWN, KEITH

    BUBAR, ROBERT

    CABRAL, MICHAEL

    CAHOON, STEVEN

    CAPWELL, SCOTT

    CHACE, THOMAS

    CLARK, MICHAEL

    COLANTONIO, FRANCIS

    CONLEY, JAMES

    COOLEY, BRUCE

    DIMUCCIO, STEPHEN

    DOAR, PHILIP

    ERBAN, JASON

    FAY, STEPHEN

    GREENWELL, JOSEPH

    HALLORAN, JOHN

    HANDY, STEVEN

    HANNON, EDWARD

    JESSOP. THOMAS

    JORDAN, JAMES

    KAPALKA, STEVEN

    KENNEY, JAMES

    LECLAIR, CHRISTOPHER

    MAHONEY, DAVID

    MARIETTI, PETER

    MAXFILED, JAMES

    MAYMON, THOMAS

    MCLAUGHLIN, JAMES

    MCCAULEY, MATHEW

    MOAN, MICHAEL

    MONTECALVO, GREGORY

    MORETTI, MICHAEL

    MORSE, DAVID

    OWENS, BRYAN

    PACHEM, TIMOTHY

    PARMENTER, ROBERT

    PECCHIA, CARL

    RUSSEL, RANDY

    SHEA, MICHAEL

    SINOTTE, MICHAEL

    STEERE, MILES

    SUGRUE, THOMAS

    TRUDELL, FREDERICK

    TYLER, WILLIAM

    UMBENHAUER, JASSON

    VINER, STEVEN

    WILLIAMS, JOHN

    2016 missing record of sick leave on the following employees. 34% of the data is missing from the binders

    ANTONELLI, RAYMOND

    BELLAVANCE, RICHARD

    CAHOON, STEVEN

    CAMPAGNA, VINCENT

    CAPWELL, SCOTT

    CHACE, THOMAS

    CLARK, MICHAEL

    COLANTONIO, FRANCIS

    CONLEY, JAMES

    DOAR, PHILIP

    ERBAN, JASON

    FARIAS, MICHAEL

    FAY, STEPHEN

    HALLORAN, JOHN

    HANDY, STEVEN

    HANNON, EDWARD

    JESSOP. THOMAS

    JORDAN, JAMES

    KAPALKA, STEVEN

    KENNEY, JAMES

    LECLAIR, CHRISTOPHER

    MAHONEY, DAVID

    MARIETTI, PETER

    MAXFILED, JAMES

    MAYMON, THOMAS B

    MCLAUGHLIN, JAMES

    MOAN, MICHAEL

    MONTECALVO, GREGORY

    OWENS, BRYAN

    PACHEM, TIMOTHY

    PARMENTER, ROBERT

    RUSSEL, RANDY

    SHEA, MICHAEL

    SINOTTE, MICHAEL

    STEERE, MILES

    SUGRUE, THOMAS

    TRUDELL, FREDERICK

    TYLER, WILLIAM

    UMBENHAUER, JASSON

    VINER, STEVEN

    Thu, Sep 13, 2018 11:51 am

    To:lyn.pagliarini + 6 more Details

    Dear Lyn,

    Please be advised of this request for inspection of documents under RIGL 38-2-2. Please make the appropriate arrangements for inspection of the binders which contain the "Record of Sick Leave Sheets" for 2012, 2013 and 2014. These will be the same type of documents contained in the binders that I recently reviewed for 2016 and 2017.

    (a) Except as provided in § 38-2-2(4), all records maintained or kept on file by any public body, whether or not those records are required by any law or by any rule or regulation, shall be public records and every person or entity shall have the right to inspect and/or copy those records at such reasonable time as may be determined by the custodian thereof.

    Please check your schedule and afford me an hour during the week of Sept. 17 - 21.

    Regards,

    Rob Cote

    Fri, Nov 2, 2018 12:26 pm

    To:lyn.pagliarini + 17 more Details

    Please find the following APRA request:

    1. Please forward any and all historical documents relative to any agreement, contract, or collective bargaining stipulation, entered into by any entity or representative of the City of Warwick with the WFD, that defines "comp time" for employees or management of the Warwick Fire Department.

    2. Please forward any and all accounting procedures, formats, or protocol which defines the documentation and or distribution of "comp time" for the Warwick Fire Department.

    3. Please forward the documents that define the use and or accumulation of "comp time" and the circumstances in which employees are allowed to accumulate "comp time" for the Warwick Fire Department and what employees or management personnel are allowed to accumulate "comp time".

    4. Please forward any and all documents that indicate the procedures and or parameters in which "comp time" can be used and what members can accrue and use "comp time" within the Warwick Fire Department.

    Separately relative to accumulation of sick time for Assistant Chiefs and Chiefs of WFD:

    1. Please forward any and all agreements made with the WFD that specify as to how sick time is accumulated and paid out to members of the WFD that have gained the rank of Assistant Chief or Chief.

    2. Please forward any and all contracts made between the the city, its administration, its solicitor, and individuals of the WFD that have obtained the rank of Assistant Chief or Chief as to the method of accumulation and payment for unused sick time.

    3. Please forward any and all documents or agreements made between any entity of the City of Warwick with any member of the WFD management or members that deviates in any way from the payment process of unused sick time that is defined in the collective bargaining contract under ARTICLE VIII Sections 1 - 6.

    Regards,

    Rob Cote

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    What can I say, I was a paper boy in another life Steve Cah

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    and... THAT... is why he is THE CAPTAIN...

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    You need some knee pads Wwkvoter/Roger D..... Captains getting lucky tonight. It pays to be a solid investigator.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Wwkvoter,

    Thanks, but the real reason that I AM THE CAPTAIN is due to decades of transporting hundreds of passengers safely and without incident on the waters of Rhode Island Sound, and also conducting thousands of scuba dives with students never having the slightest of incidents and bringing them all home safely. To this day I speak of them and refer to all of them as "my kids", ( which I am often corrected as to their ages).

    At the end of the day, none of this has ever been personal, it has always been about stopping the manipulation. If others are pissed off that my skills in arithmetic have restricted them to game the system, too F'ing bad.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Rick, thanks for keeping a record of my whereabouts. With that kind of attention to detail, I have no idea why thousands of people rejected your failed candidacy. In case you forgot you lost in the SEPTEMBER PRIMARY. I have been commenting regularly right up through the GENERAL ELECTION. In fact, you even disagreed with a comment I made about Allan Fung not being a good candidate, and that being the reason he lost. Its almost as if your erratic behavior and baseless accusations reveal a weakened mental state that leaves you unable to process basic information. Keep trying Rick!

    Just when it seems Corrente has reached maximum embarassment trying his hardest to insult me, he spends the next paragraph praising my brilliance. Erratic doesn't even do it justice anymore. Rick Corrente is a punchline, a walking contradiction and two time loser. He can insult me all he wants I've been called way worse by much better people. As I said before Rick as long as you are here spewing falsehoods and distorting facts I will be here calling out your horrendous, tax delinquent record!

    Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Hi again, Scal. You're 100% correct to point out the two-time election reject's glaring defects in behavior.

    As you rightly point out, no matter what he does, the two-time election reject will never change the facts about his tax delinquency, his attempts to lie to voters, and his two humiliating losses that were a direct result of the behavior he willingly and repeatedly exhibited.

    Thanks for your efforts to respond with the truth every time the two-time election reject disgraces himself with more falsehoods.

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    3 Days later and Ethan Hartley still hasn’t retracted his completely false story about the FBI. Incompetent reporting.

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Jim, what "outside agency" (not my words) is looking into this situation?

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Jim, what "outside agency" (not my words) is looking into this situation?

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Scal, there isn’t one. There is a lot of “chatter” going on. Funny thing is it’s hearsay. And unfortunately our mayor has gone out on a limb believing what was told to him by Rob. He is realizing that this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. You will see that when the mayor releases the actual money value associated with the deal in question. Currently the mayor is trying to figure out how to come out and say I was fed a bunch of lies. There are probably some contract legalities that lawyers will determine the fate of. But to say the city or department is being investigated is complete crap being thrown out to the wolves to generate the very mess it created. I actually wish they were actually here. Because there would be concrete facts that Mr. Cote could not argue. If the city was being investigated by anyone who is the first person they would call. Ummmm. Mayor Solomon. He says no one has called him end of story. Ethan Hartley has done the city a great disservice by relying on Mr. Cotes false allegations in reporting this story. And his future retraction will be a small blip in the paper. It’s laughable that the FBI would investigate contract language. Don’t take my word. Let’s see the actions of the mayor in the next few weeks.

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Scal, one more thing. Don’t you think if the mayor actually thought there was RICO, Wire fraud, stealing, scheming, ANYTHING, etc. he would sit back and wait to see if he “hears” anything from an “outside agency”. I wouldn’t. If I truly believed this was happening I would call RISP, FBI, CIA (lol) NCAA, FAA, FDA, EPA, SPCA, etc. and have them here immediately. He has done none of that. Because he knows Rob and Ken don’t have their info correct.

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Thanks for answering my question, Jim. I was asking because if there was no FBI investigation, as you say, I was curious if you had knowledge of any other investigation from any other agency, to which you said there is not. If this is an issue over contract language than I agree with you 100% there isn't much to see there and an investigation will show nothing. If there is evidence of systemic cheating the system that absolutely would fall into a serious offense and should be treated as such. I believe Ethan should address the single source aspect of his story. With something so important it really feels like single sourcing this was not enough. He should know when he prints "according to a source" he opens himself up to criticism. This story needs more in depth reporting in the next few weeks! That would be best for everyone.

    Thursday, December 13, 2018 Report this

  • Mechanicman22

    Cote and Block,

    You guys keep saying millions were over paid...what is the actual number sense you have done all the work and have the paperwork

    Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Scal, Warwick Post is reporting that Solomon contacted the FBI himself:

    "He said that he reached out to the FBI to offer his assistance in the event that they are investigating the deal, but the agent he spoke to told him the FBI does not confirm or deny investigations in progress."

    https://warwickpost.com/solomon-solicitor-out-wfd-sick-time-review-continues/

    The article also says that Avedisian had no idea about this side deal, and that he has not been contacted "by any law enforcement agency on this matter or any other matter."

    It also includes the "side agreement" and 2012-2015 fire contract documents.

    I'm no journalist, but it looks like the Beacon just got played by Solomon.

    He's willing to be quoted about a "rumor" with no supporting information -- and it turns out that no law enforcement agency is talking to Avedisian, who is, obviously, one of the first people they'd contact.

    He's also confusing the issue, by talking about the contract (signed in 2012) and the side deal (signed in 2013, apparently without Avedisian's knowledge).

    Admittedly, he has a point that it looks bad for Avedisian to not know about the side deal -- but he's overreaching when he conflates that with signing the contract in 2012.

    Mayor Solomon should concern himself more with gathering the information and bringing it to light, and less with using it as a political cudgel against his predecessor.

    Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Crickee, thank you for pointing me in the direction of the Post article. I was unaware that story was out until you had mentioned it. I agree with you Solomon would be wise to wait and see as the information rolls in, instead of giving 2 different quotes to 2 different papers. I could be mistaken but I also believe Solomon went out of his way to explain Ruggerio leaving was just part of the normal transition process in a seperate interview, where in the Warwick Post story Solomon indicated Ruggerios handling of this situation DID play a role in his assessment to ask him to leave. Single sourcing in 2018 should be a thing of the past. There is too much influence in this world to rely on 1 single source. Perhaps after this story is out 100% in the public, everyone involved in the reporting will learn that lesson.

    Crickee, when you say Solomon played the Beacon, is it your belief that he is the source in this story? "Nobody has contacted me directly" looks awfully shady after learning HE contacted THEM. I like Joe Solomon and believe he'll do a good job. I truly do wish him the best. I just hope he doesn't overplay his hand here trying to make the previous admin look bad.

    Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Mechanicaldope,

    I never said "millions" were overpaid. I did say numerous times on air that so far from 2015-17 the numbers show approximately $250,000 over paid in unused sick time, which did not include retirees and command staff because the city had not released those documents. The 2012-15 numbers have not been tabulated and they are being tabulated by YKSM. However, I can tell you this, that my numbers and YKSM's numbers for 2015-17 are pennies apart.

    Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Captain,

    How do you have access to the YKSM numbers? How do you know their pennies apart. Very interesting that you would be privy to info that the mayor isn’t.

    Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    Captain,

    How do you have access to the YKSM numbers? How do you know their pennies apart. Very interesting that you would be privy to info that the mayor isn’t.

    Friday, December 14, 2018 Report this

  • Mechanicman22

    Cushman

    Hiring out of state for a chief? How did that work out for the Town of East Greenwich, except cost the taxpayers even more money, paying the chief salary, his stay at hotels and traveling expenses...hiring an outside chief may not be a bad idea, but keep it within in the state!

    Saturday, December 15, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    NAME SICK DAYS TAKEN AMOUNT PAID OVERPAYMENT days / amount 2015

    ALBRO, CHRISTOPHER 20 8.73 8.73 - $2377.92

    ALSFELD WILLIAM 6 12.48 3.73 - $996.54

    ANDERSEN, ERIK 8.66 11.65 4.75 - $1513.94

    ANDREWS, DAVID 7 12.48 4.35- $1373.07

    ANDREWS, DANIEL 6 11.65 2.90 - $829.99

    ANDREWS, ETHAN 9 11.69 4.81 - $1354.98

    ANGILLY, PETER 8 11.65 3.85 - $1101.88

    ANTONELLI, RAYMOND – 5 12.48 3.01 - $980.06

    BARLOW, BRIAN 7 9.99 1.86 - $607.12

    BELLAVANCE, RICHARD – 8 11.65 4.15 - $1427.47

    BERTHIAME, TODD 9 7.95 1.07 - $309.20

    BOYNTON,MICHAEL SR. 1.33 12.48 .90 - $255.10

    BRADLEY, DANIEL 4 12.48 2.48 - $782.81

    BRADLEY, THOMAS 7 12.48 4.35 - $1373.07

    BRADY, THOMAS 7 12.48 4.35 - $1373.07

    BROWN, KEITH – 5 11.65 2.28 - $725.08

    BUBAR, ROBERT – 5 12.48 3.01 - $1025.35

    CABRAL, MICHAEL – 4 9.99 OK

    CAHOON, STEVEN – 9.66 7.62 1.15 - $377.96

    CAMPAGNA, VINCENT 6 12.48 3.73 - $1057.24

    CAPWELL, SCOTT – 4 12.48 2.68 - $847.88

    CEMBOR, ROBERT 4 12.48 2.48 - $782.81

    CHACE, THOMAS – 1 12.48 0.60 - $190.96

    CHARPENTIER, JASON 3 11.56 0.93 - $296.23

    CLARK, MICHAEL – 7 10.82 2.69 - $935.57

    COBB, BRIAN 3 12.48 1.85 - $583.95

    COLANTONIO – NO DATA 12.48

    CONLEY, JAMES – 7 12.46 4.51 - $1423.35

    CROWLY, PATRICK 3.66 12.48 2.28 - $646.25

    CULLEN, STEVEN 10 8.87 2.62 - $831.65

    DANELLA, ROBERT 3 12.48 1.85 - $524.37

    DEFUSCO, MICHAEL 9 11.00 4.12 - $1165.08

    DOAR, PHILIP – 7 12.48 4.35 - $1232.97

    DUNLEAVY, HENRIK 9.33 10.82 4.15 - $1337.43

    ERBAN, JASON – 2 12.48 1.23 = $388.24

    FARIAS, MICHAEL 4 12.48 2.48 - $702.93

    FAUCHER, JONATHAN 6 11.65 2.90 - $997.51

    FAY, STEPHEN 1 12.48 0.60 - $204.39

    FONTENAULT, MARCEL 5 12.48 3.10 - $978.51

    FRANCIS, SETH 8 11.60 3.80 - $1069.66

    FRENCH, KYLE 7 12.48 4.35 - $1365.03

    FURY, JASON 5 11.65 2.27 - $723.50

    GOUVIEA, ALAN 3 12.48 1.85 - $583.95

    GUERCIA, STEPHEN 6.66 12.48 4.14 - $1173.44

    HALLORAN, JOHN – 4 12.48 2.48 - $782.78

    HANDY, STEVEN – 4 12.48 2.48 - $842.44

    HANNON, EDWARD – 5 12.48 3.01 - $1025.35

    JENSEN, SCOTT 5.66 12.48 3.51 - $994.87

    JESSOP, THOMAS – NO DATA 12.48

    JORDAN, JAMES – 4 12.48 2.48 - $844.80

    KAPALKA, STEVEN PERFECT ATTENDANCE 12.48 0

    NAME SICK DAYS TAKEN AMOUNT PAID OVERPAYMENT 2015

    KENNEY, JAMES – NO DATA 12.48

    KING, DAVID 11 9.70 4.07 - $1069.50

    LAMIROY, MARC 7 10.87 2.75 - $907.75

    LECLAIR, CHRISTOPHER – 7 12.10 3.97 - $1251.12

    LETOURNEAU, PAUL 7 12.48 4.35 - $1373.07

    LUSIGNAN.GEORGE 1 12.48 .60 - $189.39

    MAGNAN, STEPHEN 7 11.65 3.52 - $1007.44

    MAHONEY,DAVID – 2 9.99 OK

    MARIETTI, PETER – 8 12.48 4.98 - $2082.61

    MARRIOT, KENNETH 6 12.48 3.73 - $1057.23

    MATTESON, MICHAEL 9 11.10 4.23 - $1424.67

    MAXFIELD, JAMES – NO DATA 12.48

    MAYMON, THOMAS – 2 12.48 1.23 - $477.24

    MCALLISTER, MICHAEL 6 12.48 3.73 - $1057.23

    MCCAULEY, MATTHEW – 13.66 10.21 6.24 - $2071.77

    MCGUIRE, JEFFERY 5 10.82 1.45 - $494.70

    MELLO, ANTHONY 21.66 .47 .47 - $174.65

    MERNICK, FRED 3 12.48 1.85 - $524.36

    MERNICK, MICHAEL 14 7.79 4.04 - $1267.34

    MOAN, MICHAEL – 2 12.48 1.23 - $514.45

    MONTECALVO, GREG – NO DATA 12.48

    MORETTI, MICHAEL – NO DATA 12.48

    MORSE, DAVID – 10 7.48 1.23 - $496.48

    NARODOWY, GLENN, 10 11.10 4.85 - $1359.17

    OATLEY, GARY 5 12.48 3.10 - $1056.01

    ODONNELL, MATTHEW 8 9.57 1.77 - $565.36

    PACKHEM, TIM – 8 11.28 3.78 - 1181.62

    PARAMENTER, ROBERT – NO DATA 12.48

    PECCHIA, CARL – 3.66 12.48 2.27 - $716.50

    PEELLA, JOHN 22 12.48 12.48 - $3537.36

    PELLICO, GARY 5 12.48 3.10 - $978.51

    PICARD, TIMOTHY 2 12.48 1.23 - $348.63

    PRATA,TIMOTHY 3 8.33 OK

    RICHARDS, MATTHEW 6 12.05 3.30 - $1038.26

    RUSSELL, RANDY – 10.66 10.82 4.98 - $1441.16

    SAVARIA, MARC 7 11.87 3.75 - $1292.88

    SCALZO 3 9.99 OK

    SCRIBNER, KEVIN 2 12.48 1.23 - $348.63

    SHEA, MICHAEL – NO DATA 12.48

    SINOTTE, THOMAS – 7 12.48 4.35 - $1481.82

    STEERES, MILES – NO DATA 12.48

    SUGRUE, THOMAS – 1 12.48 0.60 - $117.85

    SULLIVAN, CHRISTOPHER 8 11.10 3.30 - $941.63

    SUTTON, ANDREW 11.66 8.28 3.06 - $965.46

    TITUS, TRACY 5 12.48 3.10 - $978.51

    TURCO, DANIEL 9 10.70 3.83 - $1212.01

    UMBENHAUER, JASON – NO DATA 12.48

    VAIL, JUSTIN 6 10.34 1.59 - $458.66

    VALLEY, ROBERT 5 12.48 3.10 - 878.66

    VINER, STEVEN – 1 12.48 0.60 - $177.85

    WATERMAN, JASON 5 12.48 3.10 - $ 878.66

    WILSON, WILLIAM 4 12.48 2.48 - $782.81

    Total over paid $82,396.81

    NAME SICK DAYS TAKEN AMOUNT PAID OVERPAYMENT days / amount 2016

    ALSFELD WILLIAM 8 13.05 4.05 - $1406.52

    ANDERSEN, ERIK 4 14.61 2.61 - $905.60

    ANDERSON , BRIAN 4 15.00 3.00 - $934.5

    ANDREWS, DANIEL 5 12.25 1.00 - $331.28

    ANDREWS, DAVID 5 13.69 2.19 - $759.47

    ANDREWS, ETHAN 6 13.28 2.78 - $866.22

    ANGILLY, DAVID 10 11.51 4.01 - $1247.82

    ANGILLY, PETER 13 6.31 1.06 - $329.45

    ANTONELLI, RAYMOND – 2 14.82 1.32 - $457.95

    BARLOW, BRIAN 5 14.56 3.31 - $1239.67

    BELLAVANCE, RICHARD – 5 14.54 3.29 - $1402.54

    BERTHIAME, TODD 8 11.85 2.85 - $886.67

    BOYNTON,MICHAEL SR. 2 15.00 1.50 - $467.24

    BRADLEY, DANIEL 3 15.00 2.25 - $780.53

    BRADLEY, THOMAS 8 14.54 5.54 - $1995.82

    BRADY, THOMAS 6 14.28 3.78 - 1310.80

    BROWN, KEITH – NO DATA

    BUBAR, ROBERT 3 14.94 1.44 - $576.92

    CABRAL, MICHAEL 4 15.00 3.00 - $934.49

    CAHOON, STEVEN – 7 11.51 1.76 - $610.38

    CAMPAGNA, VINCENT – 5 15.00 3.75 - $1168.12

    CAPWELL, SCOTT – 4 14.63 2.63 - $984.99

    CEMBOR, ROBERT 2 15.00 1.50 -$520.35

    CHACE, THOMAS – NO DATA 12.50 retired with 142.69

    CHARPENTIER, JASON 7 14.87 5.12 - $1776.03

    CLARK, MICHAEL – 7 13.69 3.94 - $1474.57

    COBB, BRIAN 3 14.64 1.89 - $655.76

    COLANTONIO – NO DATA 5.00 retired with 141.23

    CONLEY, JAMES – 12 8.75 2.75 - $948.91

    CONLEY, KYLE 2 15.00 1.50 - $467.24

    CRAVEN, NOAH CHECK NO DATA

    CROWLY, PATRICK 4 14.36 2.36 -$819.08

    CULLEN, STEVEN 13.66 6.01 1.51 -$523.34

    DANELLA, ROBERT 5 15.00 3.00 - $934.49

    DEFUSCO, MICHAEL 8 12.28 3.28 - $1022.44

    DOAR, PHILIP – 5 14.49 3.24 - $1124.24

    DUNLEAVY, HENRIK 8 12.88 3.88 - $1344.67

    ERBAN, JASON – NO DATA 1 15.00 .75 - $260.17

    FARIAS, MICHAEL – NO DATA 13.75

    FAUCHER, JONATHAN 5 15.00 3.75 - $1403.91

    FAY, STEPHEN – NO DATA 13.75 retired with 144.10

    FONTENAULT, MARCEL 6 13.60 3.60 - $1348.08

    FRANCIS, SETH 5 13.69 2.44 -$759.51

    FRENCH, KYLE 6 13.51 3.01 - $1043.32

    FURY, JASON 5 14.51 3.26 - $1130.62

    GOUVIEA, ALAN 5 14.10 2.85 - $988.20

    GUERCIA, STEPHEN 6 15.00 4.50 - $1401.70

    HALLORAN, JOHN – 6 14.41 3.91 - 1356.80

    HANDY, STEVEN – 3 15.00 2.25 - $842.36

    HANNON, EDWARD – 3 15.00 2.25 - $842.36

    JENSEN, SCOTT 4 15.00 3.00 - $934.47

    NAME SICK DAYS TAKEN AMOUNT PAID OVERPAYMENT days /amount

    JESSOP, THOMAS – NO DATA 15.00

    JORDAN, JAMES – 4 15.00 3.00 - $1123.12

    KAPALKA, STEVEN PERFECT ATTENDANCE 15.00

    KENNEY, JAMES – NO DATA 6.25

    KING, DAVID 33 1.91 1.91 - $590.54

    LAMIROY, MARC 3 14.54 1.79 - $670.35

    LECLAIR, CHRISTOPHER – 6 14.51 4.01 - $1390.73

    LETOURNEAU, PAUL 4 14.63 2.63 - $984.99

    LIBRIZZI, CHRIS 6 13.75 3.25 - $1013.05

    LUSIGNAN.GEORGE 5 12.64 1.39 -$482.86

    MAGNAN, STEPHEN 6 13.51 3.01 - $936.84

    MAHONEY,DAVID – 11 15.00 8.25 - $3517.93 all days taken in last month

    MARIETTI, PETER – 4 14.35 2.35 - $1080.59

    MARRIOT, KENNETH 4 15.00 3.00 - $934.47

    MATTESON, MICHAEL 10 10.99 3.49 - $1309.16

    MAXFIELD, JAMES – 3 15.00 2.25 - $842.34

    MAYMON, THOMAS – NO DATA 14.64

    MCALLISTER, MICHAEL 6 14.10 3.60 - $1120.86

    MCGUIRE, JEFFERY 5 13.87 2.62 - $981.27

    MERNICK, FRED 4 14.05 2.05 - $638.89

    MERNICK, MICHAEL 7 10.90 1.15 - $399.15

    MOAN, MICHAEL – 5 15.00 3.75 - $1723.77

    MORETTI, MICHAEL 7 13.87 4.12 - $1283.90

    NARODOWY, GLENN, 33 7.92 7.92 - $2471.71

    ODONNELL, MATTHEW 10 13.72 6.22 - $2158.51

    ONEILL, JOSEPH 3.66 13.98 1.65 - $572.70

    OATLEY, GARY 2 15.00 1.50 - $561.56

    PACKHEM, TIM – 3 4.89 retired

    PARAMENTER, ROBERT – 1 15.00 .75 - $319.81

    PELLICO, GARY 3 14.82 2.07 - $718.15

    PICARD, TIMOTHY 2 14.82 1.07 - $333.33

    PRATA, TIMOTHY 25 12.03 12.03 - $3745.93

    RICHARDS, MATTHEW 3 15.00 2.25 - $780.53

    RUSSELL, RANDY – 8 11.31 2.31 = $764.50

    SAVARIA, MARC 2 15.00 1.50 - $520.35

    SCALZO, MICHAEL 4 15.00 3.00 - $1040.70

    SCRIBNER, KEVIN 3 15.00 2.25 - $700.85

    SINOTTE, THOMAS – 5 14.54 3.29 - $1403.46

    STEERES, MILES – 5 14.41 3.16 - $1347.88

    SUGRUE, THOMAS – NO DATA 14.24

    SULLIVAN, CHRISTOPHER 13 11.10 5.85 - $1822.26

    SUTTON, ANDREW 14 7.26 2.76 - $956.80

    TITUS, TRACY 5 13.69 2.44 - $846.71

    TURCO, DANIEL 9 12.92 4.67 - $1620.97

    UMBENHAUER, JASON – NO DATA

    VAIL, JUSTIN 8 12.51 3.51 - $1092.20

    VALLEY, ROBERT 4 14.62 4.62 - $1602.71

    VINER, STEVEN – NO DATA 14.64

    WATERMAN, JASON 7 12.51 2.76 - $859.43

    WEATHERS, DANA 6 15.00 4.50 - $1401.70

    WILSON, WILLIAM 1 15.00 .75 - $260.17

    Total over paid $91,102.67

    2017

    NAME SICK DAYS TAKEN AMOUNT PAID OVERPAYMENT day/amount 3yr total

    ALBRO, CHRISTOPHER 6 14.05 4 - $1418.41 $3796.33

    ALSFELD WILLIAM 2 15.00 1.5 - $537.43 $2940.49

    ANDERSEN, ERIK 5 15.00 3.75 - $1336.25 $3755.79

    ANDERSON , BRIAN 2 15.00 1.5 - $482.57 $1417.07

    ANDREWS, DANIEL 5 14.56 3.31 - $1174.16 $2335.43

    ANDREWS, DAVID 5 14.65 3.40 - $1206.31 $3338.85

    ANDREWS, ETHAN 13 7.16 1.91 - $609.16 $2830.36

    ANGILLY, DAVID 9 9.56 1.31 - $417.53 $1665.35

    ANGILLY, PETER 3 15.00 3.75 - $1206.43 $2637.76

    ANTONELLI, RAYMOND 2 10.05 OK $1438.01

    BARLOW, BRIAN 5 15.00 3.75 - $1442.06 $3288.85

    BELLAVANCE, RICHARD 5.96 RETIRED $2830.01

    BERTHIAME, TODD 6 14.48 3.98 - $1267.46 $2463.33

    BOYNTON,MICHAEL JR. 4 15.00 3.00 - $965.14 $965.14

    BOYNTON,MICHAEL SR. 3 15.00 2.25 -$723.84 $1446.18

    BRADLEY, DANIEL 3 14.20 1.45 - $514.36 $2077.7

    BRADLEY, THOMAS 3 13.90 1.15 - $440.24 $3809.13

    BRADY, THOMAS 5.66 13.57 2.81 - $1005.72 $3689.59

    BROWN, KEITH 4 7.53 missing 2016 data $725.08

    BUBAR, ROBERT 2 14.56 1.06 - $462.20 $2064.47

    CABRAL, MICHAEL 4 15.00 3.00 - $965.13 $1899.62

    CAHOON, STEVEN 3 15.00 2.25 - $806.13 $1794.47

    CAMPAGNA, VINCENT 4 15.00 3.00 - $965.13 $3190.49

    CAPWELL, SCOTT 4 13.97 1.22 - $467.04 $2291.91

    CARVAALHO, MICHAEL 4 15.00 3.00 - $1074.84 missing data

    CEMBOR, ROBERT 13 5.77 .52 - $184.63 $1487.79

    CHARPENTIER, JASON 2 13.84 .34 - $120.61 $2192.87

    CIESYNSKI, MICHAEL 5 15.00 3.75 - $1343.55 missing data

    CLARK, MICHAEL 6 12.48 1.98 - $863.84 $3273.98

    COBB, BRIAN 5 14.65 3.40 - $1206.31 $2446.02

    CONLEY, JAMES 14 7.34 2.84 - $1087.45 $3459.71

    CONLEY, KYLE 1 15.00 .75 -$ 241 28 missing data

    CRAVEN, NOAH 9 11.01 2.76 - $879.47 missing data

    CROWLY, PATRICK 5 14.65 3.40 - $1206.31 $2671.64

    CULLEN, STEVEN 6 15.00 4.50 - $1612.26 $2967.25

    DANELLA, ROBERT 2 15.00 1.50 - $482.56 $1941.42

    DEFUSCO, MICHAEL 7.33 11.72 2.22 - $707.27 $2894.79

    DOAR, PHILIP 5 15.00 3.75 - $1343.55 $3700.76

    DUNLEAVY, HENRIK 6 12.64 2.14 - $759.15 $3441.32

    ERBAN, JASON 1 15.00 .75 - $268.71 $917.12

    FARIAS, MICHAEL 1 15.00 missing 2016 .75 - $241.28 $944.21

    FAUCHER, JONATHAN 5.66 14.97 4.22 - $1615.52 $4016.94

    FONTENAULT, MARCEL 24 3.75 7.75 - $2966.86 $5293.45

    FRANCIS, SETH 4 15.00 3.00 - $992.84 $2822.01

    FRENCH, KYLE 5 15.00 3.75 - $1343.55 $3751.90

    FURY, JASON 5 15.00 3.75 - $1343.55 $3197.67

    GIBLIN, THOMAS 4 9.33 OK

    GOUVIEA, ALAN 6 14.24 3.74 - $1431.40 $3003.55

    GUERCIA, STEPHEN 7 12.22 2.47 - $876.21 $3451.35

    HANDY, STEVEN 3 15.00 2.25 - $869.97 $2554.77

    JENSEN, SCOTT 4 15.00 3.00 - $965.13 $2894.47

    NAME SICK DAYS TAKEN AMOUNT PAID OVERPAYMENT day/amount 3yr total

    JORDAN, JAMES 0 15.00 OK $1967.92

    KAPALKA, STEVEN 1 14.87 .62 - $237.48 $237.48

    KING, DAVID NO DATA missing data $1660.04 (2yrs)

    LAMIROY, MARC 0 15.00 OK $1578.10

    LECLAIR, CHRISTOPHER 7 13.79 4.04 - $1433.13 $4074.98

    LETOURNEAU, PAUL 6 13.24 2.74 - $1049.09 $3407.15

    LIBRIZZI, CHRIS 2 14.56 1.06 - $337.64 $1350.69 (2yrs)

    LUSIGNAN.GEORGE 5 14.65 3.40 - $1206.31 $1878.56

    MAGNAN, STEPHEN 29 7.60 21.60 - $2423.17 $4367.45

    MAHONEY,DAVID 13 2.55 $3537.93

    MARRIOT, KENNETH 4 14.42 2.42 - $771.08 $2762.28

    MATTESON, MICHAEL 3 13.82 1.07 - $503.20 $3237.03

    MAXFIELD, JAMES 0 14.54 missing data $842.34

    MCALLISTER, MICHAEL 3 15.00 2.25 - $723.84 $2777.81

    MELLO, ANTHONY 19.66 2.63 8.29 - $1006.78 $1181.43

    MERNICK, FRED 1 15.00 .75 - $241.28 $1404.53

    MERNICK, MICHAEL 0 14.78 OK $1666.49

    MOAN, MICHAEL 4 15.00 3.00 - $1424.24 $3662.46

    MORETTI, MICHAEL 8 12.04 missing data 3.04 - $968.39 $2252.29

    NARDOWAY, GLENN ? ? ? $3830.34 (2yrs)

    ODONNELL, MATTHEW 19 1.97 1.22 - $432.29 $3155.80

    ONEILL, JOSEPH 3 15.00 2.25 - $806.13 $1378.80 (2yrs)

    OATLEY, GARY 7 13.04 3.29 - $1260.23 $2877.80

    PELLICO, GARY 2.33 15.00 1.74 - $623.52 $2320.18

    PERRY, JOHN 8 3.55 OK missing data

    PICARD, TIMOTHY 2 14.64 1.14 - $404.39 $1086.35

    PRATA,TIMOTHY $3745.93 (2yrs)

    REYNOLDS, JESSE 4 15.00 3.00 - $965.14

    RICHARD, DEREK 4 15.00 3.00 - $965.14

    RICHARDS, MATTHEW 5 15.00 3.75 - $1343.55 $3162.34

    RUSSELL, RANDY 2 13.86 .36 - $127.72 $2333.38

    SAVARIA, MARC 5 13.62 2.37 - $907.61 $2720.84

    SCALZO, MICHAEL 4 15.00 3.00 - $1074.84 $2115.54

    SCRIBNER, KEVIN 1 15.00 .75 - $241.28 $1290.76

    SINOTTE, THOMAS 4 15.00 3.00 - $1321.19 $4206.47

    SUGRUE, THOMAS 0 15.00 missing data

    SULLIVAN, CHRIS 11 7.09 .34 - $108.44 $2872.33

    SUTTON, ANDREW 9 7.31 OK $1922.26

    TITUS, TRACY 5 14.97 3.70 - $1312.51 $3137.73

    TURCO, DANIEL 7 12.04 2.29 - $812.62 $3645.60

    UMBENHAUER, JASON 1 15.00 .75 - $356.06 missing data

    VAIL, JUSTIN 5 14.01 2.76 - $879.60 $2430.46

    VALLEY, ROBERT 3 15.00 2.25 - $806.13 $3287.50

    VARRAS, NICHOLAS 3 15.00 2.25 - $723.85

    VINER, STEVEN 0 14.54 OK missing data

    WATERMAN, JASON 11 9.99 1.74 - $554.74 $2292.83

    WEATHERS, DANA 14 5.94 1.44 - $458.97 $1860.67

    WILSON, WILLIAM 0 15.00 OK $1042.98

    WINNES, CHRIS 7 12.62 2.87 -$1098.94 missing data

    Total over paid $74,351.12

    Saturday, December 15, 2018 Report this

  • Mechanicman22

    Cote..

    Anyone can get names of city workers...and post numbers next to them..how did you come up with those..where’s your mathematical formula? Old saying liers figure and figures lie!!

    Sunday, December 16, 2018 Report this

  • Warwick Man

    I think a previous commenter had a decent question Mr. Cote, how do you have info or knowledge that your numbers are “pennies apart” and the cities audit firm has not yet come back? I find that very strange and will certainly open you and city up to “independent audit” claims.

    Sunday, December 16, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Scal, I'd only be speculating about Solomon's source. What I will say is, consider who is helped and who is harmed by this information being leaked out.

    Whoever it is, I would warn that most times, these things have unintended consequences that don't help anyone, politically or otherwise.

    For example, I don't think it helps Solomon to go keep going after Avedisian.

    As I mentioned above, Solomon is trying to hang the side agreement on Avedisian because he approved the original contract in 2012. Well, Solomon was on the council in 2012 and approved the contract, too -- does that make him at least equally responsible for the side agreement?

    And as far as who is harmed by this, clearly this doesn't look good for the fire union -- but the city doesn't look all that great, either, having the FBI involved.

    Nor does it look good for someone to be telling the mayor that the FBI is looking into the side deal, when the FBI's stated policy is not to confirm or deny investigations. [The FBI also takes a dim view, to say the least, toward people who talk about being interviewed.]

    So, this situation is already being used to make political points before all the information has been gathered.

    Monday, December 17, 2018 Report this

  • Mechanicman22

    Lying Cote... all quiet when it comes to back up his facts..and how do you know what that report says?!! I ran into a council member today and he said that he has not even seen the report! Is a council president funneling information to you? Maybe a state police and FBI investigation would shed light on more information than you would want

    Monday, December 17, 2018 Report this

  • Hemi_Royed

    Syphilis ! Without treatment, syphilis can spread to the brain and nervous system.

    Symptoms of neurosyphilis include severe headache, difficulty coordinating muscle movements,

    paralysis, numbness, and dementia .

    Having followed Mr. Cote's rants and tirades in City Hall Council Chambers over the years and observing his life-style and actions through out the area. His boat parties years ago were quite something to say the least and well known for his nuts and bolts get togethers.

    The only explanation for his continued lunacy is neurosyphilis.

    Penicillin little Robbie, heavy , heavy doses of penicillin...Hurry!

    Monday, December 17, 2018 Report this

  • davebarry109

    This is not a contract 'misunderstanding'. I think RICO is the way to investigate here. The FD has been abusing sick time and OT for decades. They've never lived within their OT budget. How can 200 guys never use sick time? They should have covered their tracks better. Swaps are a way to keep this RICO act going.

    Friday, December 21, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    AMAZING!!

    70 comments and the first one is STILL the best.

    Way to go Justanidiot! Merry Christmas old friend.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Saturday, December 22, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    And THAT is why corrente got WASTED by the voters TWICE. Doesn't know that the comment was totally facetious, and is so morally bankrupt, doesnt get why the issue needs to be taken seriously... no brains, no ethics. No election.

    Saturday, December 22, 2018 Report this

  • Cat2222

    Voted on by a committee of 1 for the best comment out of 70. Same manner in which he calls himself a mayor.

    Thursday, December 27, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Stay tuned boys and girls.

    Thursday, December 27, 2018 Report this

  • Mechanicman22

    Rob, stay tuned for you calculations on your numbers...we are all still waiting to see how you came up with it

    Monday, December 31, 2018 Report this

  • ThePilot

    Still waiting for the FBI investigation...hmm seems like it never happened..oh that's right it didn't

    Tuesday, January 1, 2019 Report this