Republican Steven Frias, who lost a close state representative race to Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello in 2016, is stepping up his criticism of Mattiello.
In a statement Monday, Frias said Mattiello should have fired Frank Montanaro, the head of the Joint Committee on Legislative Services, the legislature’s spending and hiring arm, after revelations in 2017 that Montanaro got about $50,000 in free college tuition while working at the legislature,
“For three years, while making over $150,000 a year working for the Speaker, Frank Montanaro Jr. got away with receiving free tuition which cost the taxpayers about $50,000,” Frias said. “Speaker Mattiello should have terminated Montanaro for this scam. Instead he let him keep his job and allowed Montanaro to pay back only some of the free tuition he received. This was not only unacceptable, it was disgraceful.”
Frias said the situation illustrates the need for an office of inspector general, to expose fraud and waste in state government.
Asked for comment, Mattiello’s campaign spokeswoman, Patti Doyle, did not address Frias’ criticism of Montanaro.
“The speaker is focused on his own positive, issue-oriented campaign that thus far has addressed jobs and the economy, school safety, elimination of the car tax, women’s health and tax cutting measures,” Doyle said.
Frias is making his second challenge to oust Mattiello from his state representative seat in Cranston. In 2016, Mattiello beat Frias by just 85 votes. The two candidates will square off in the November election.
