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Resident alleges improper pay increase for city employee during Providence budget hearing
Summary
During the public comment period of the Providence Finance Committee’s June 30 meeting, a resident alleged the city improperly raised the salary and created a job title for a city employee identified as Tina Mastriani, claiming the raise exceeded a legal salary cap.
During the public comment period of the Providence Finance Committee’s June 30 meeting, resident and former city clerk Sean Selick alleged that city officials approved an improper pay increase and a fabricated job title for a city employee identified in testimony as Tina Mastriani.
Selick said an internal human-resources document “officially lists the person overseeing the stenographers documenting these proceedings with the title, acting director of legislative policy in city treasury, hyphen, city clerk,” and called the title “fabricated.” He further alleged the employee’s salary was set at $143,460, which he said exceeded a legal cap of “about $130,000” and that the increase had not been approved by the Salary Review Commission, which he said is the body authorized to raise the cap. “This 1 illegal raise will pad Miss Mastrayani’s pension by $10,000 a year,” Selick said, adding that the conduct amounted to “corruption.”
Selick named the council president and mayoral staff as having approved the raise and urged the council to reverse it. He also referenced the city’s internal auditor and a whistleblower hotline, saying the hotline would be meaningless if the auditor’s office ignored the allegation.
No formal council response or recorded action on the allegation appears in the committee record. Chair Helen Anthony acknowledged the testimony later in the session when the committee closed the public hearing; the transcript does not record a staff or council reply, an investigation directive, or an admission.
Why it matters: The allegation, if substantiated, would raise questions about compliance with salary limits and pension calculations and could have budgetary and legal consequences; however, the transcript records the claim as public comment only and does not document any committee motion, staff rebuttal or initiation of an inquiry during the meeting.
Authorities and procedural note
Selick referenced the Salary Review Commission as the body that can lawfully increase a pay cap; the transcript also cites an internal auditor and a newly launched whistleblower hotline. The committee did not record any formal action to verify or investigate the allegations during the meeting.
Quotes
“This document also shows that same individual, Tina Mastriani, is receiving a salary of $143,460, well above the legal cap of about $130,000,” Sean Selick said during public comment. “This is corruption and it’s expensive,” Selick added, urging the council to “reverse the raise, restore legality, and stop giving taxpayer dollars away to insiders behind closed doors.”
Ending
The allegation was presented during the public comment period without a recorded committee response or follow-up motion at the June 30 session. The transcript does not show subsequent council action; any verification, rebuttal, or investigation would need to be confirmed from committee records or staff statements published after the meeting.
