The email was sent by Everett Abitbol, development director for Scout, a Philadelphia firm hired to lead a renovation of the Cranston Street Armory. The four-page email was sent to McKee’s office after a March 10 visit to Philadelphia by Jim Thorsen, director at the time of the state Department of Administration, and David Patten, head of a properties division at DOA.
In his email, Abitbol said behavior during the visit by the two men “reflects incredibly poorly on the state of Rhode Island and their leadership.”
These are some of the other concerns about their alleged behavior cited in Abitbol’s email:
— A text sent before the Rhode Islanders’ visit made demands for coffee, a six-pack, and “best croissant in Philadelphia,” adding, “You have three hours to convince us to give you $55M,” an apparent reference to the Cranston Street Armory project.
— A demand for lunch at a closed Michelin star restaurant, asserting it was necessary to win the $55 million in state funding.
— Patten reportedly also made comments about the appearance of Scout’s managing partner, Lindsey Scannapieco, and said, “Lindsey, where is your husband? Why is he in Australia?…. If I knew your husband wasn’t going to be here, I would have come last night.”
McKee’s office released the email one day after Attorney General Peter Neronha sided with arguments by WPRI-TV, Channel 12, and the Providence Journal that the contents were of public interest. The governor’s office initially balked at making the document public.
“Our office has reviewed the Attorney General’s decision and we appreciate the acknowledgement that ‘the record indicates that the Governor’s Office applied the balancing test in good faith,’ ” said McKee spokeswoman Olivia DaRocha. “… As there is still an ongoing Human Resources investigation and an ongoing State Police investigation into this matter, the Office cannot comment further at this time.”
Patten was placed on paid medical leave after returning to Rhode Island, and Thorsen subsequently left for a job with the U.S. Treasury Department.
Patten’s lawyer, Michael P. Lynch of Westerly, said in a statement that Patten is embarrassed and humiliated by his behavior, which he characterized as an aberration from more than 30 years of work without a bad review or evidence of previous racist or sexist behavior.
“Unfortunately, the events that unfolded in Philadelphia were the result of a mental health event characterized by health professionals as an acute stress event that built up over time,” Lynch said. “Over the past 3 years [he] lost his sister, his father-in-law and just a few weeks before the Philadelphia trip his best friend – all while continuing to work – never taking any extended time from work – he accepted the responsibility of working on the tasks that were at hand at the time.”
Lynch added that Patten “did not take care of himself and sought to deal with the stressors through work – some long hours – and unfortunately, resulted in comments that were in no way part of his persona.”
Thorsen declined comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
Abitbol cited conduct during visits to two of Scout’s tenants in Philadelphia, the Jefferson Wyss Wellness Center and Diadora, an Italian heritage brand: “In both instances we now have employees and executives of both organizations extremely angry for how they were treated and threatening to go public with the blatant racism that they experienced.”
According to the email, Thorsen asked insensitive questions about how the homeless are treated at Jefferson Wyss. The situation escalated, Abitbol wrote, when the center’s clinical leader described his passion for helping the less fortunate, leading Patten to say, “When you go to the bars at night, you must have to swat off the women.” Patten is also said to have asked the clinical director, “You’ve got some ethnicity in you?”
Scout did not receive funding to renovate the Cranston Street Armory in the budget passed by the House Finance Committee last week
“We sincerely hope that our reporting of our experiences did not contribute to any potential lack of funding or support from the Governor or his team,” the company said in a statement.
Scout added, “We firmly believe that the neighborhood, city, and citizens of Rhode Island deserve a remarkable project that respects the historical significance of the Cranston Street Armory and brings an impactful project to all of Rhode Island.”
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org
