UPDATED: Taveras Names Former Chafee Aide as Chief of Staff
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Providence Mayor-elect Angel Taveras announced yesterday that he has appointed former Chafee campaign manager J.R. Pagliarini as the chief of staff for his administration.
“J.R. brings extraordinary personal and professional acumen to a position that demands a high-level of skill and a deep understanding of the issues confronting Providence residents and my administration,” said Mayor-elect Taveras. “I have long respected and admired J.R.’s work ethic and his ability to be open, honest, and collaborative in every position he has held. And we share a fundamental belief that government must be more effective and more accountable.”
“I think this is going to be a good opportunity for him with Mayor-elect Taveras,” Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian told GoLocalProv. “I did tell the Mayor-elect that J.R. would be a good fit.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPagliarini resigned from Chafee campaign amid controversy
Pagliarini, who served as the campaign manager for Lincoln Chafee’s successful gubernatorial campaign, made a sudden exit from the political stage just a few weeks before the election after news broke that his collection of unemployment benefits overlapped with his work for the campaign. Pagliarini resigned, saying he didn’t want the issue to become a distraction.
Taveras spokeswoman Arianne Lynch said he had spoken with State Police Col. Brendan Doherty and “is confident that J.R. will be vindicated.”
Avedisian also expects that Pagliarini will be cleared of any wrongdoing. “I have to believe that if J.R. had done anything … he thought was inappropriate, I think he would have let the Mayor-elect know about it,” Avedisian said. “All along J.R. has maintained he didn’t do anything.”
Chafee spokesman praises appointment
Pagliarini named Chafee as one of his references in his application and Taveras and the Governor-elect spoke before the appointment was made, according to Lynch.
Chafee spokesman Mike Trainor praised the appointment. “We are delighted he has accepted a position with Mayor-elect Taveras,” Trainor said. “We think it’s good for the incoming Chafee administration to have a trusted former associate in a leadership position in the city of Providence.”
Trainor said Chafee’s transition office had been speaking with Pagliarini about taking a possible position in his administration—but the discussion never got down to specifics. “Basically, Angel beat us to the punch,” Trainor said. “We see it as a positive for the city, for the state, and for J.R.”
Avedisian said he too had been speaking with Pagliarini to see if he was interested in returning to work for the City of Warwick. “It was very upbeat and positive and he said he would be looking at some options and get back to me,” Avedisian said. The next time he heard from Pagliarini was last weekend, when he was told Pagliarini would be taking a position in the Taveras administration.
“I am truly excited about the opportunity to work in Providence, and to embark on what promises to be challenging and extremely rewarding work with Mayor-elect Taveras,” Pagliarini said in a statement. “I am honored to have a role in moving our state’s capital city forward.”
