Gov. Daniel J. McKee on June 15 announced that David Patten, the state property director accused of inappropriate behavior during a March business trip, will resign at the end of the month.
The move followed news earlier in the day that the R.I. Ethics Commission’s staff had prepared complaints against Patten and James Thorsen, the former director of the R.I. Department of Administration, for potential violations of the state ethics code during the trip. The commission was expected to vote on June 27 on whether to authorize a full investigation.
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In an email to McKee, Philadelphia real estate developer Scout Ltd. claimed Patten displayed bizarre, offensive behavior that was “blatantly sexist, racist and unprofessional” during the daylong trip. The email also claimed Thorsen, who left his state job in April to rejoin the U.S. Treasury Department, failed to intervene.
The McKee administration fought for months to keep the email secret but released it after Attorney General Peter F. Neronha ruled in favor of an open-records complaint.
Patten has been on paid administrative leave since May 30.
