(HE)
WE BEGIN AT ELEVEN
WITH A FOLLOW-UP TO A
TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS
EXCLUSIVE.
A HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL
AT THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY - WHO MAKES A
SIX FIGURE SALARY -
HELD ONTO A PERK FROM
HIS PREVIOUS STATE JOB
------ FREE COLLEGE
TUITION FOR HIS FAMILY.
(MM)
WE'VE LEARNED ---
FRANK MONTANARO
JUNIOR RECEIVED TUITION
WAIVERS FOR THREE
YEARS,
AFTER HE LEFT HIS JOB
AT RHODE ISLAND
COLLEGE TO WORK FOR
HOUSE SPEAKER
NICHOLAS MATTIELLO.
(HE)
NEW TONIGHT -- SPEAKER
MATTIELLO IS REACTING
TO OUR INVESTIGATION.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER CAROLINE
GOGGIN IS LIVE IN
PROVIDENCE WITH THAT.
CAROLINE?
(CG)
MONTANARO WAS A STATE
REPRESENTATIVE FOR 14
YEARS.
HE REPRESENTED THE
SAME SEAT IN CRANSTON
THAT HOUSE SPEAKER
MATTIELLO NOW
OCCUPIES.
TONIGHT -- THE SPEAKER
IS RESPONDING TO THESE
NEW ALLEGATIONS
AGAINST ONE HIS TOP
AIDES.
AS THE STATE'S GOP
CHAIRMAN -- IS CALLING
FOR THE SPEAKER -- TO
FIRE HIM.
WHEN FRANK MONTANARO JR
LEFT HIS JOB AT RHODE ISLAND
COLLEGE -- TO HEAD BACK TO
THE STATE HOUSE -- HE
ALMOST DOUBLED HIS SALARY.
BUT TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE HAS UNCOVERED
THAT MONTANARO -- DIDN'T
GIVE UP HIS JOB AT RIC
COMPLETELY.
HE GOT LEAVE TO PROTECT
STATUS FOR THREE YEARS.
THAT STATUS IS NORMALLY
ONLY GIVEN FOR SIX MONTHS.
WHICH GIVES STATE WORKERS
THE RIGHT TO GET BACK THEIR
OLD JOB, WHILE THEY TEST
OUT A NEW ONE.
"when I decided to come here, I
didn't know if I was going to
fit in this
position. If it was going to be
a job I
would like."
"it's absolutely ridiculous to
suggest
that he was waiting to see if
this was
a good fit for him when he spent
15
years in the building as a
legislator."
HEATED WORDS FROM RHODE
ISLAND GOP CHAIRMAN
BRANDON BELL.
TARGET 12 FOUND OUT THAT
WHEN MONTANARO GOT HIS
LEAVE TO PROTECT STATUS
FROM RIC --
HE ALSO GOT FREE COLLEGE
TUITION FOR TWO OF HIS
FAMILY MEMBERS.
"outrageous. absolutely
outrageous."
ACCORDING TO RHODE ISLAND
COLLEGE --
MONTANARO HAS RECEIVED 12
SEMESTERS WORTH OF FREE
TUITION AT RIC AND URI SINCE
THE FALL OF 2014.
COMBINED -- IT'S WORTH ABOUT
50 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
BELL SAYS MONTANARO
SHOULD REIMBURSE THE STATE
-- AND THEN BE FIRED BY THE
HOUSE SPEAKER.
"Speaker Mattiello is against
free
tuition. I wonder if he's for
free
tuition for three years for two
kids for
his top aide."
WEDNESDAY NIGHT -- WE
HEARD FROM SPEAKER
MATTIELLO.
HIS DIRECTOR OF
COMMUNICATIONS TELLS US
QUOTE,
"Speaker Mattiello has learned
that
there is a question regarding an
employee who utilized a college
tuition waiver benefit. He
believes
the Administration should
comprehensively review the
tuition
waiver policy and consider
limiting
who is eligible for it."
"It's a benefit afforded to me
as a
Rhode Island college employee."
EVEN THOUGH HE HASN'T
WORKED IN THE HIGHER
EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR
THREE YEARS --
MONTANARO INSISTS HE WAS
JUST FOLLOWING THE
PROCESS.
(CG)
MONTANARO'S LEAVE AT
RIC ENDED ON MAY 31.
SO HE WILL BE PAYING HIS
SON'S TUITION MOVING
FORWARD.
BUT WHEN TIM WHITE
ASKED HIM TODAY IF HE
WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE
JOB AT THE STATE HOUSE
IF IT DIDN'T INCLUDE FREE
TUITION --
MONTANARO SAID HE
COULDN'T ANSWER THAT
QUESTION.
CAROLINE GOGGIN,
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
(HE)
THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS ARE
ALWAYS LOOKING TO
UNCOVER NEWS.
(MM)
IF YOU WANT TO SEND A
TIP, OR REPORT
GOVERNMENT, WASTE,
CALL OUR TIPLINE AT 2-2-8,
1-7-6-3 --- OR EMAIL US AT
TARGET 12 AT W-P-R-I-
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