Infamous Philly trip back in the spotlight with Ethics Commission vote. What to expect.

PROVIDENCE – With a vote by the state Ethics Commission imminent, Gov. Dan McKee's former Director of Administration James Thorsen has denied any unethical behavior on the now infamous day-trip that he and a freebie-collecting colleague took to Philadelphia last March.

"At no time did Thorsen solicit or accept any gift or reward based on any understanding that a vote or official action or judgment would be influenced thereby," Thorsen's lawyer Kevin Bristow told the Ethics Commission in response to a complaint lodged by the commission's deputy chief investigator.

Infamous Philly trip back in the spotlight

The Ethics Commission's anticipated vote Tuesday has put the spotlight back on the trip that Thorsen and David Patten, then-director of the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, took to Philly to check out an award-winning project by Scout Ltd., the firm the state hired to put the fortress-like Cranston Street Armory to new use.

What happened on that trip – at a time when the fate and funding of the proposed $56-million Cranston Street Armory revival hung in the balance – led the top executives at Scout to send the governor a blistering email.

More: RI governor's office fought to keep this email secret. Why the Journal fought back, and what it says

Among the allegations in that email: that Patten left a trail of racist and sexist remarks, demanded freebies at multiple stops along the site tour, including a pair of sneakers he said he hoped weren't from China because he hates China. According to the email, upon spotting an Asian-American woman nearby, Patten said, "No offense, hon."

When told that the high-end restaurant where he wanted to eat wasn't open for lunch, Patten allegedly told a Scout executive − "Well, you can call in a favor if you want $55M in funding."

While getting coffee with Scout's managing partner, Lindsey Scannapietro, that morning, he alleged said: “If I knew your husband wasn’t going to be here, I would have come last night.”

As for what Thorsen allegedly did − or didn't do − that gave rise to the ethics complaint: neither he nor Patten paid their share of their $525 lunch that day with the two Scout executives until Thorsen asked for an invoice days later.

Patten did not send a response to the multiple violations alleged in the complaint against him.

Thorsen's defense: He did not solicit gifts from Scout

Thorsen's lawyer, Bristow, said simply that Thorsen did not "solicit goods or services, gifts or rewards from the Scout representatives, nor use, in any way, his public office to obtain financial gain," and did not accept any gift, reward, favor, service, gratuity or special discount" valued at more than $25 "from a person or business that has a direct financial interest in a decision that the public official is authorized to make."

"Also, contrary to the averments contained in the complaint, James Thorsen was not a 'key decision-maker' in connection with the prospective redevelopment contract with Scout Ltd," Bristow wrote.

Thorsen left state government in April 2023 for a job at the U.S. Treasury, but his LinkedIn page does not indicate he is still there.

Patten ultimately resigned.

At that point, Patten's lawyer, Michael Lynch, issued a statement that said in part: "While a simple apology is never enough, Mr. Patten is apologetic to the citizens of Rhode Island, who he has had the pleasure of representing as a director in the Department of Administration, that any of these matters occurred."

"He also apologizes to the many individuals in Philadelphia he met with in March and were, unfortunately, recipients of comments that resulted from Mr. Patten suffering" what has been described as an "acute stress event."

What is happening with the armory?

The McKee Administration cancelled Scout's contract. The fate of the largely abandoned armory remains unclear. As recently as August, the City of Providence was laying down terms for a potential takeover of the cavernous building.

"Discussions with the City of Providence are ongoing," Department of Administration spokeswoman Laura Hart told The Journal on Monday.

She noted there is a total of $7.4 million earmarked for the "ongoing rehabilitation of the Cranston Street Armory" in the RI Capital Plan budget (FY 2024 through FY 2029).

"These funds will allow for asset-protection work as the state refines plans for the facility’s adaptive reuse," she said.

The commission is also scheduled to vote on a complaint its investigator filed against Patten, as well as on a separate complaint the state GOP filed against McKee in connection with his own interactions with Scout executives at a fundraising lunch paid for by Scout's lobbyist, Jeff Britt.

McKee's defense? He didn't know.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Top-ranked McKee official defends himself from ethics commission