Projo Editorial Mirrors Mattiello’s Talking Points, Raising More Questions of Newspaper’s Lobbyist
Monday, January 27, 2020
The Providence Journal has written an editorial defending Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello's audit of the Convention Center.
The editorial mirrors the talking point sent out by Mattiello’s press office after the Speaker's audit was deemed “illegal.”
The chairman of the board of the Convention Center Authority Bernie Buonanno told GoLocal Thursday he believes Mattiello’s audit was punitive after Mattiello’s close friend James Demers, head of security for the Convention Center was placed on administrative leave tied to personnel issues.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLast week, GoLocal exclusively secured a copy of a letter by Amanda Marzullo Wilmouth, the Assistant General Manager of the Rhode Island Convention Center that alleges years of verbal and mental abuse by Demers.
Mattiello unilaterally ordered the Joint Commission on Legislative Services to order the audit. That demand was deemed illegal by the Convention Center Authority in a unanimous vote and has sparked a request for a State Police investigation.
Common Cause Rhode Island Executive Director John Marion told GoLocal he thought Mattiello's audit was improperly executed.
In addition, House Minority Leader Blake Filippi filed a lawsuit against Mattiello and hours later, Mattiello withdrew the demand for an audit.
The Providence Journal editorial written by Ed Achorn, the only remaining editorial page writer, states, "After a week-long political brouhaha, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello dropped his request that the state auditor general look into the convention center. That’s a very bad outcome for the public. We hope Republicans stop playing partisan politics, work with the Democratic speaker instead of suing him, and permit the auditor general to go forward."
Mattiello never endorsed any of the GOP calls for an audit between 2015 and 2018.
The newspaper once had seven editorial page writers.
Questions of Conflicts with the Providence Journal
In October, talk radio show host Dan Yorke said that the newspaper’s journalism and especially their editorials are tainted due to the influence of former Providence Journal Executive Vice President and Legal Counsel Mark Ryan who lobbies at the State House for Twin River.
According to Ryan's bio, "He remains a consultant to the publisher of the Providence Journal Company."
About an earlier editorial relating to Ryan and his other client Twin River Casino Yorke said, "But, I am telling you, editorially it is on the take…[the] Journal is getting marching orders on what it should write.”
Mattiello's Talking Points
Mattiello’s office emailed to GoLocal on Thursday links to GoLocal articles and House Republican press releases dating back as long ago as 5 years earlier that raised questions about finances as the Convention Center.
Mattiello's spokesman Larry Berman wrote:
This is from me as his spokesman:
“Upon receiving some new information and recalling all of the press releases from the Republican Party over the past several years, it was determined an audit was appropriate.”
Below are Republican press releases on this issue. Don’t forget the Go Local story of May 17, 2018: “Minority Leader Morgan Requests Info on Dunk’s Performance Following GoLocal’s Review.”
5-14-2015
Republican Policy Group demands Convention Center collective bargaining agreements
3-23-2015
Republican Policy Group studying Convention Center lease
5-16-2018
Leader Morgan Inquires about Convention Center Performance
The Providence Journal, which in the 1980s enjoyed a weekday circulation of nearly 200,000, has seen its circulation drop to less than 35,000 per day. The newspaper has also slashed its newsroom staffing by more than 80 percent. The newspaper is presently owned by Gannett, which is headquartered in Virginia.
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