PROVIDENCE
– The R.I. Convention Center Authority violated the state’s Access to Public Records Act by failing to respond on time to a request, according to a written finding issued by the Office of the Attorney General.
The violation stems from a July 15 records request submitted by GoLocalProv CEO Josh Fenton seeking copies of employment contracts and compensation records for Convention Center Authority Executive Director Daniel McConaghy.
The authority did not respond within the 10-business-day window required under state law, prompting a formal complaint filed with the attorney general’s office on Aug. 8.
In a determination dated Dec. 11, the attorney general's office found that the Convention Center Authority’s failure to respond constituted a violation of the law, even though the agency said that the request was blocked and quarantined by its Microsoft email security system.
“A failure to respond to an APRA request within the statutory timeframe violates the [law],” the finding states, noting that technical issues do not automatically excuse noncompliance.
The Convention Center Authority said that it did not receive the original emails and said the request was flagged by automated security filters because it sought sensitive compensation information.
Once the authority became aware of the request through the complaint process, it provided the requested records within two days, according to the attorney general’s findings.
While Attorney General Peter F. Neronha concluded that the violation was not willful, knowing or reckless, a determination that avoids potential civil fines, the office emphasized that public bodies must take reasonable steps to ensure records requests are not improperly diverted by spam or security filters.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.