PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - An ethics commission authorized a probe into allegations that Providence’s public safety commissioner misused his position by not hiring a fire chief for fear of the effect it would have on his own salary.
The Providence Ethics Commission voted Wednesday night to authorize the city solicitor to investigate a complaint again Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré, WPRI reported.
Andrew Kanter, the commission’s chairman, said while the city had already hired an outside attorney to investigate Paré, their findings are not binding.
“The investigator does not decide whether or not there is a violation of the code of ethics,” Kanter said. “We, the Ethics Commission, decide whether or not there is a violation of the code of ethics.”
Councilman James Taylor initially filed the complaint against Paré in December, after the commissioner acknowledged in a letter to Council President Sabina Matos that he had not promoted an assistant fire chief to the top job in the department because it would result in a pay cut for Paré.
The city council cut Paré’s salary by $40,000 last year, but since he is also the acting fire chief, the city is still paying him the full $162,000 fire chief’s salary.
Paré has previously said Taylor has a personal vendetta against him, after not being selected himself for the fire chief job four years ago.
In response to the commission’s action Wednesday, Paré said, “Whoever’s making an inquiry, I’ll fully cooperate and provide whatever they need.”
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