Ric Santurri: Solomon – Do As I Say, Not As I Do
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
As the Democratic primary for Mayor of Providence looms a few weeks away, there are more revelations about ethically challenged frontrunner Michael Solomon. For those of us who believe in good government, nothing is worse than a hypocrite politician. You know, the one who says one thing and does another, one who demands accountability from others but never is held accountable in his own actions. One who expects the public to follow the rules, but skirts and even evades the rules on a consistent basis. Is there anything worse than a “Do as I say, not as I do” politician? Here are some examples of Solomon the hypocrite.
Solomon the Anti-Smoking Champion Profiting From a Smoke Shop Near A Catholic Elementary School
Providence's much ballyhooed win over the tobacco industry was trumpeted by Solomon in September 2013, when the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the city's right to ban flavored tobacco products and store discount coupons. After the ruling, Solomon told the Providence Journal "The court's decision is a big win for Providence. We have been working hard to protect our children from the dangerous, addictive habit of tobacco use, and today's ruling upholding our anti-tobacco ordinances will help us build a healthier, stronger and safer city for our children."
One would think such a champion of protecting young people from smoking wouldn't rent to a head shop, but when that person is a hypocrite, having a tenant like Phunky Stuff in your building must not be a problem. Take a look at Solomon's former building, at 555 Park Avenue, Cranston, here. I say former, because it burned down and was razed in September 2012.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPhunky Stuff had been a tenant in this building, at the corner of Park and Elmwood Avenue, since at least 2002. Solomon bought the building in 2004, and apparently collected rent from this head shop for seven plus years. Apparently it's okay for Solomon to profit from a tenant that sells drug paraphernalia a couple hundred yards from the Providence line but it's not okay for Providence merchants to accept coupons from smokers or sell flavored tobacco, a legal product.
Solomon claims he wants to protect children from smoking, but doesn't have a problem profiting from a smoke shop as a tenant diagonally across from St Matthew's School for six years, before the diocese closed the school at the end of the 2010 school year. I'd say that owning a building with a smoke shop in it 331 feet away from a Catholic elementary school isn't the best way to shield young people, especially when the shop sells various devices to smoke marijuana.
I personally don't care if adults smoke marijuana, or if stores sell paraphernalia to smoke it. I don't think it's a good idea to have a drug paraphernalia store a football field's length away from an elementary school. It's the height of hypocrisy for Michael Solomon to claim that he's protecting children with anti-smoking ordinances while he had profited from a smoke shop for years, especially one in such proximity to an elementary school.
Should Providence voters care? If they don't care that Solomon didn't have a problem with profiting from this store so close to a school, they should care that he's a hypocrite. If Providence voters would take a close look at Michael Solomon's history of non-disclosure and questionable business dealings, they should care.
Solomon's Personal Bankruptcy Stiffed the Providence Tax Collector
Last week, GoLocalProv broke the story of Solomon's personal bankruptcy in 1994. One of the most disturbing elements of the story was that of the 30 creditors listing on the filing, one was the Providence Tax Collector. I would have a major problem if the mayor of Providence once stiffed the city of taxes due, even if it was 20 years ago. Providence residents are some of the most tax burdened in the country, with one of the highest commercial and tenanted properties tax rates. Solomon has not given any specific details about his bankruptcy since the story broke last week.
Michael Solomon, in his eight years on the city council, has voted for every single tax increase presented before him. For the 2011 budget, Solomon was one of the main architects of what is now known as the Tenant Tax, the draconian tax rate on non-owner occupied homes that has chilled the Providence real estate market and resulted in raised rents and less affordable housing. For the 2013 budget, he pushed Angel Taveras' year before election year tax increase through the council that saw the the effective tax rates on Providence owner occupants and tenanted homes go up over 20%. Apparently, it's okay in Michael Solomon's world to stick Providence residents and investors with a high tax burden, even though he has in his personal history a record of stiffing Providence taxpayers.
Solomon's History of Damaging Disclosures
Jim Hummel's blockbuster revelation (video here at the 6 minute mark) broke the story that Solomon was the biggest and longest held debtor to the troubled Providence Economic Development Partnership (PEDP), not paying back a $500,000 loan from 1988 and not disclosing it on his RI Ethics Commission yearly disclosure form, as required by law, and is now subject to an ethics complaint by Providence Ward 1 Council candidate Michael Long. Yesterday, the RI Ethics Commission announced they will be investigating the Solomon ethics complaint, although have up to 180 days to investigate, which might preclude them from wrapping up their investigation before the election. Hopefully, the RI Ethics Commission will expedite this investigation, so Solomon can't benefit further from his long history of non-disclosure.
And it gets worse. Before Hummel's story broke in early 2012, Solomon actually had the temerity to serve on the board of the PEDP, the very agency that he had stiffed on this huge loan since 1988. According to PEDP meeting minutes, Mayor Taveras was not aware of Solomon holding the troubled Conrad PEDP loan until March 2012, when he hurriedly tabled a request from Solomon's company, New City Conrad LLC, to subordinate their debt to another loan.
This business relationship with the PEDP was also not disclosed by Solomon on his yearly Ethics filings, although there is a specific section on the disclosure form for any business where an official might have legislative control of the agency in which he had done business. Not only did Solomon have a degree of legislative control over the PEDP as a councilman and later council president, he sat on the PEDP board from 2008 to 2011 (although he missed 18 of 19 meetings). If this doesn't result in a hefty fine from the RI Ethics Commission, they should fold their tent.
Take a look at what Solomon told WPRI's Dan McGowan in May of this year. “I will note the city council took action to improve transparency and accountability at the PEDP,” Solomon said. “We now require city council approval prior to converting any HUD-funded PEDP loan to a grant. We also require quarterly and annual reports so that the public can access information including the company name, a brief description of company, the loan amount and a checklist of funding objectives.” (If you want to shake your head at ethically challenged politicians, you should read this entire McGowan story. )
If transparency is such a good idea, why didn't Solomon list his PEDP loan on his RI Ethics Commission Disclosure form, year after year?
Again, another instance of Solomon requiring something from the public that he doesn't require of himself. Now we have the revelation that Solomon profited from a smoke shop 331 feet away from a Catholic elementary school, followed by Solomon trumpeted his record in fighting to protect youth from the danger of smoking.
In the next few weeks, I'm eager to see what new reports emerge about Michael Solomon. Hopefully, the voters will look past the slick TV ads from Solomon's big money campaign, which is funded primarily by the $297,000 he personally dumped into his own campaign instead of paying down his quarter century old half million dollar obligation to the people of Providence, as Brett Smiley noted earlier this week. Voters need to take a look at the sketchy business and ethics history of Michael Solomon, before Providence ends up with an embarrassment as mayor. Democratic voters who care about ethics and good government certainly should support either Brett Smiley or Jorge Elorza, who are more ethical, more competent, less compromised choices to be the party's standard bearer against Buddy Cianci in November.
Ric Santurri is a Providence real estate investor and broker. A graduate of the URI School of Journalism, he has been involved in RI politics for over three decades. The past few years, Ric has been keenly focused on Providence, mainly budget and tax policy, politics and elections, and quality of life issues. Feel free to send comments, tips, and info to [email protected]
Related Slideshow: Questions Michael Solomon Needs to Answer to be Providence’s Next Mayor
To be the next Mayor of the City of Providence - Michael Solomon is going to need to answer some important questions about his record, his experience and his vision for Providence.
Solomon need to win a three-way primary against Brett Smiley and Jorge Elorza. If successful in the Democratic primary, then he will face GOP candidate Dan Harrop, independent Lorne Adrain, and the 800-pound gorilla -- Buddy Cianci.
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