Rhode Island official accused of bad behavior during visit resigns, apologizes to Philadelphians

David Patten, the Rhode Island state official who exhibited “bizarre, offensive, and unprofessional” behavior during a March visit to the Bok Building, submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, effective at the end of June.

Michael Lynch, a Rhode Island attorney representing Patten, reiterated in a statement to The Inquirer that Patten’s behavior was the result of “a health issue termed an acute stress event.”

“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 this acute stress event,” Lynch’s statement said. Patten was the director of Rhode Island’s property management division and visited Philadelphia with Jim Thorsen, then-director of administration, in early March.

Lindsey Scannapieco, managing partner at the development firm behind Bok, showed the two men around during their visit. Scannapieco’s firm, Scout Ltd., had contracted with the state of Rhode Island under a previous administration to develop a long-vacant building in Rhode Island, and was hoping to secure funding from Gov. Dan McKee’s administration to move that plan forward.

But the visit did not go well.

» READ MORE: Two Rhode Island officials visited Philly. They were so rude their state launched two separate investigations.

Patten texted Scannapieco at midnight before the trip demanding she have “fresh coffee (with milk and sugar) and the best croissant in Philadelphia ready for me upon arrival,” told her, “If I knew your husband wasn’t going to be here, I would have come last night,” and insulted and made inappropriate comments to a number of Bok employees, and at least one dog.

Afterward, Scannapieco and colleague Everett Abitbol wrote an email to a hired lobbyist in Rhode Island documenting what had happened. The email ended up with the governor of Rhode Island; the Providence Journal and Rhode Island TV station WPRI successfully fought to make it public. An Inquirer report detailing the Rhode Island officials’ strange behavior went viral earlier this week.

The “Philadelphia trip,” as Rhode Island media referred to it, ended up launching two separate investigations: a criminal one, led by the Rhode Island State Police, and a human resources one within the governor’s office. Neither has been completed, according to Lynch, though Patten’s resignation will likely bring both to a close, he said.

Gov. McKee’s office had been largely silent on the controversy, but released a statement after Patten’s resignation this week.

“The Human Resources investigation highlighted Mr. Patten’s highly inappropriate conduct, which was disturbing, entirely unacceptable, and not representative of Rhode Island’s values or the integrity of our State workforce,” a spokesperson for Gov. McKee said, calling the allegations “appalling.” “As a result, Gov. McKee called for Mr. Patten’s resignation, and Mr. Patten complied.”

Thorsen, the other official, had already submitted a letter of resignation before the trip and now works for the U.S. Treasury. Earlier this week, Thorsen released a statement through his attorney saying he was aware of Patten’s problematic behavior during the trip and that Thorsen himself “did not engage in the conduct described.”

“I did not make any remark or make any statement to any person that was racially or sexually insensitive or inappropriate,” Thorsen said in the statement. “I do not engage in that type of speech or conduct.” He also said he visited the state human resources office immediately after returning to Rhode Island. However, the email from Scout claims that Thorsen allowed Patten’s behavior to continue unchecked, even after they asked him to put a stop to it.

The Inquirer has reached out to Scannapieco and Abitbol for additional comment.

In a previous statement to The Inquirer, Scannapieco said, “We want to clarify that our reporting of behavior was intended to ensure accountability for their actions and uphold our commitment to our community at Bok as an inclusive and safe space for all.” She said she hoped doing so did not jeopardize any funding or support for the Rhode Island development project.