Providence Council president questions ‘shady’ city contract with GoLocalProv
City of Providence Council President David Salvatore is questioning a city contract between then-Council President Luis Aponte and website GoLocalProv.
In a statement sent out by Chief of Staff Emily Martineau, Salvatore referred to a 2016 agreement as a “shady deal” which saw the city pay GoLocalProv $3,000 a month to publish city meeting notices despite the city having built a meetings portal in 2013 to inform the public.
The council president also questioned certain “unusual language” in the agreement which suggested that the city and GoLocalProv would have a contractual obligation to cooperate with each other, which in return GoLocalProv would provide the city with “relevant information.”
According to Salvatore the following was part of the contract:
“In order to effectively advocate the COMPANY’S interests, you have an affirmative obligation to cooperate with GoLocalProv during the course of this engagement.”
“In return, GoLocalProv agrees to keep COMPANY (the city) informed of relevant information and to consult with COMPANY regularly. Copies of significant correspondence, media coverage and relevant documents will be sent to COMPANY.”
The council president says he wants to know what that “relevant information” was.
“Was he getting tipped off to stories related to Providence City Hall? Was there an understanding he would receive positive coverage in exchange for this contract?” asked the council president in his release.
Salvatore also accused the parties of circumventing the city’s competitive bidding process.
“The contract goes beyond any traditional media buy, requiring the media outlet to keep the City in the loop about relevant information,” said Salvatore in a statement. “When you have the City paying for a service it doesn’t need, the deal appears to be set up to skirt city purchasing requirements, and the owner of the company is a former City Councilman who should know the rules, it raises serious questions as to whether this was a blatant attempt to defraud the City.”
GoLocalProv Co-Founder Josh Fenton is a former Providence City Councilman.
Salvatore also quoted city ordinances (Sec. 21-27) which state any contract over $500 and under $5000 should solicit informal competitive bids.
Salvatore called on GoLocalProv to return approximately $67,500.
