Two Rhode Island officials visited Philly. They were so rude their state launched two separate investigations.
David Patten and James Thorsen toured Bok as part of official Rhode Island state business. Now, their actions are under review by the Rhode Island state police and the governor.
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The trouble between Philadelphia and the state of Rhode Island began in early March.
That’s when two Rhode Island officials came to tour Bok, the former South Philly vocational school that is now home to dozens of artists and entrepreneurs. Scout Ltd., the team behind Bok, had contracted with Rhode Island, under a former administration, to develop a long-vacant state building in Providence. Hoping to convince a new administration to fund the project, Lindsey Scannapieco, managing partner at Scout, offered to show the officials around.
But the way the Rhode Island representatives allegedly behaved was so “bizarre, offensive, and unprofessional” that Scannapieco and colleague Everett Abitbol wrote an email to a hired lobbyist documenting all that happened. The email ended up with the governor of Rhode Island.
“This reflects incredibly poorly on the state of Rhode Island and their leadership,” Scannapieco and Abitbol said in the email, which the Providence Journal and Rhode Island TV station WPRI fought to make public.
The two men sent to represent Rhode Island were David Patten, director of the state’s property management division, and James Thorsen, director of administration.
“We will not permit Patten or Thorsen to return to Bok ever again,” the email said. “[We] are shocked at how this reflects on the state of Rhode Island and the lack of competence there.”
For weeks, Rhode Island media has referred to “the Philadelphia trip,” a mysterious expedition during which terrible things happened. In addition to a public records battle to get access to the email, the Philadelphia trip launched two separate investigations: a criminal one, led by the Rhode Island state police, and a human resources one within the governor’s office.
Now that the email has been made public, we have excerpted the most deranged alleged details of the Bok visit. (The fact that Patten told someone their dog was “overweight,” which “he knows because he used to train dogs,” did not make the cut).
At midnight before the tour, Patten texted Scannapieco, who is overseeing the redevelopment of the Providence building. “Please have fresh coffee (with milk and sugar) and the best croissant in Philadelphia ready for me upon arrival,” he wrote. “Director Thorsen likes Diet Coke. Have a cold six pack waiting on the table in your conference room. You have three hours to convince us to give you $55M.”
In the morning as the tour began, Patten commented on Scannapieco’s appearance, asking her, “Lindsey, where is your husband? Why is he in Australia? Good thing you’re married or I would move to Philadelphia.” He also said, “If I knew your husband wasn’t going to be here, I would have come last night.”
During the tour, the group visited the Jefferson Wyss Wellness Center, a primary care hub for Philly’s refugee and immigrant communities. Marc Altshuler, the center’s clinical director and a professor at Jefferson, described his passion for helping marginalized populations, the email said. In response, Patten said, “When you go to the bars at night, you must have to swat off the women.” (Altshuler said “No, I am happily married.”) Patten then asked Altshuler, “You’ve got some ethnicity in you?” The doctor said no. Patten asked if he was Italian. The doctor said no. Finally, after more questioning, Altshuler said he was Jewish. “Mazel tov,” Patten said.
The group visited the headquarters for Diadora, the Italian sportswear and sneaker company, where an employee offered Patten a pair of sneakers. “Are these made in China?” Patten asked. “I hope not, because I really hate China.” He then turned to an Asian American female staffer in the room and said, “No offense, hun.”
Irwin’s, one of the best restaurants in Philly, is only open for dinner. During the tour, Patten and Thorsen said they wanted to eat lunch there. When Scannapieco told them the restaurant was not open, they said, “Well you can call in a favor if you want $55M in funding.” Scannapieco said she organized a private lunch for them, which she had never done before.
Irwin’s is located on the top floor of the Bok in a former nursing classroom, with walls still tagged with graffiti. It offers an extraordinary view of South Philly. In a memo a few days after the trip, Patten wrote that the restaurant looked like “it was vandalized just before our arrival,” according to WPRI. “Imagine my surprise when I learned that Bon Appetit magazine rated it one of the top ten restaurants in the United States!” He added, “The cuisine at Irwin’s did not disappoint. The word ‘understated’ comes to mind.”
Patten requested items, ranging from vegan cheese to handblown glass to sneakers, from almost every tenant he visited. At each stop he said to Thorsen, “I don’t have to declare this, right?” and Thorsen replied, “It’s de minimis” — State House shorthand for when a gift is low-enough in value that it doesn’t violate ethics rules, according to WPRI.
Patten is currently on paid administrative leave. Thorsen had submitted a letter of resignation before the trip and now works at the U.S. Treasury Department.
In an emailed 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 development project.
An attorney for Patten told WPRI that Patten attributed his behavior to “a mental health event characterized by health professionals as an acute stress event that built up over time.” He said that Patten had lost his sister, best friend, and father-in-law in the three years before the trip and was “humiliated” but “is not going to run or hide from this.” The Inquirer has reached out to the main parties involved for comment.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, we continue to thrive.
This story has been updated to include comment from Lindsey Scannapieco.