Embattled East Providence city clerk resigns, vows to go 'public' with allegations

EAST PROVIDENCE — City Clerk Samantha N. Burnett is resigning from the position she has held since 2019 in the latest chapter of a contentious saga.

Burnett notified the City Council via email Nov. 5 that she was resigning immediately due to the “lack of accommodation and support” from the city — deficiencies she said left her unable to do her job effectively.

Burnett's resignation came just weeks after she requested a separation agreement from the city in which she asked that the city continue to pay her $80,000 annual salary through Jan. 3, 2023, include a non-disparagement clause and not contest her application for unemployment benefits.

The City Council rejected her settlement offer and extended no counter-offers — a stance that Burnett says compelled her to step away from making any such deal and agreeing to keep silent.

“I could not sit there, negotiate a settlement, agreement, or a package in good conscience. Because what am I trading in? I would be compromising myself. My integrity. My duty to let the people of East Providence know the TRUTH. You have been wronged. We all have,” Burnett said in an email.

“I’m going public to uncover all the mishandling the mayor and members of the council have done regarding developments and abuse of power that costs that taxpayers thousands of dollars and their green space. If I took a settlement that would have interfered with that. It wasn’t worth it,” Burnett continued.

Burnett’s resignation is on the Nov. 16 council agenda as a formality, according to City Solicitor Michael Marcello.

The controversy has been bubbling since Burnett went on leave from her position Aug. 16 and expressed frustration in an emotional speech before the City Council. She told the council that the administration "basically didn't accept my disability" — in this case dyslexia — and asked for additional proof before making an adjustment to make her job easier.

Council members asked Assistant City Solicitor Dylan Conley to investigate Burnett's claims. Mayor Roberto DaSilva called for those findings to be publicly released last month.

Conley’s review found Burnett’s allegations that the city acted improperly to be false and that the clerk had a “pattern” of making claims that she then failed to substantiate.

Burnett returned to work Oct. 8, but went out on leave again due to illness and self-quarantine for COVID exposure.

She filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights alleging she has been discriminated against based on her gender and ethnicity and that she experienced retaliation. She is Asian/Pacific Islander American and of Filipino descent.

Burnett in September announced her candidacy for City Council. She says she is running as an independent and intends to leave the Democratic Party.

The City Council is also expected to discuss the city clerk vacancy at Tuesday night’s meeting. According to the agenda, the council will take up the process for filling of the clerk vacancy for balance of term, the job description and appointment procedure. The city clerk is an appointed position that serves at the City Council’s pleasure.

In the meantime, Marcello said, the council is proceeding with its own investigation related to job performance and other issues that surfaced while Burnett was on leave.

Burnett has dismissed criticisms about her job performance, noting that she received commendations and a raise during her tenure. She has accused DaSilva of “bullying.”

In Burnett’s absence, Deputy Clerk Leah Stoddard has assumed the clerk duties as required, Marcello said.

The city clerk serves as the department head for the city's five municipal clerks and oversees the maintenance of all required records in accordance with federal, state and local laws, according to the city website. In addition, the clerk maintains and records all vital statistics and issues various licenses and permits and keeps agendas and minutes for regular and special meetings.

Stoddard raised eyebrows after her arrest in 2018, when she and a North Providence man became the first Rhode Islanders to be prosecuted under a state law making it a crime to track a vehicle without consent. She later admitted to misdemeanor conspiracy and installing a tracking device on a romantic rival’s car.

Stoddard has been performing the duties as city clerk without any issues and “in a professional and competent manner” and will continue to do so until a city clerk is formally appointed by the City Council, Marcello said in an email to the Journal Tuesday.

Burnett has accused Stoddard of saying "Oh, can I, mastah? Can I? Can I speak now, mastah?" and clapping her hands together during open office hours in April.

"This is a great offense to me because I actually had ancestors that were slaves and I absolutely took that as a racial slur. She never apologized to this day," Burnett said in an email.

Stoddard declined comment through city spokeswoman Patricia Resende.

"The allegation of discrimination was investigated [by the city] and no discrimination was found. Beyond that, we do not comment on personnel matters," Resende said.

Asked if Stoddard, whose mother, Luci Amaral-Stoddard, is the Ward 3 Democratic chairwoman and a supporter of DaSilva,is interested in being named clerk, Resende said in an email that Stoddard “has expressed that she has no interest in the permanent appointment of the city clerk."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: East Providence City Clerk Samantha Burnett resigns