Councilman wants outside pension probe

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A city councilman is calling for an independent investigation into disability pensions in Providence after a Target 12 investigation revealed one disabled retiree is a dedicated weightlifter.

Last month, Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare ordered the police to launch a criminal investigation into whether that retiree and up to 100 others should face criminal charges over their pensions. But City Councilman David Salvatore said Thursday he wants a third-party review conducted outside city government.

"I am grateful for Commissioner Pare’s leadership and his commitment to root out abuses in the disability pensions awarded to public safety officials in Providence," Salvatore said in a statement. "But when you have public safety officials conducting a review of pensions awarded to their colleagues, there is a potential for holding back information or judgments clouded by personal connections to the people involved."

Salvatore said he met with Pare on Thursday to express his concerns. "We need an objective review that will result in unbiased recommendations for improving and mitigating abuse, and I believe the only way to do this is to have someone from outside the system conduct an audit," he said.

Undercover video shot by Target 12 shows John Sauro, a Cranston resident who retired with a disability pension in 2000, working out at a local gym over a week's time. The footage documents him doing an exercise routine that includes lifting 205 pounds on an incline bench, performing shoulder exercises with 150-pound dumbbells, and hanging by his arms to do leg raises.

Pare told Target 12 last month he was confident the police department could handle the Sauro probe internally. "It's difficult to do, but I have every confidence that they'll be thorough and complete in their investigation," he said. The Providence Retirement Board has ordered Sauro to get examined by an orthopedic surgeon.

Melissa Withers, a spokeswoman for Mayor Angel Taveras, said Thursday the administration welcomes the involvement of Salvatore and other members of the City Council.

"The system is broken and we need to fix it," she said. "It's going to take all of our collective efforts for many, many months and years to come to course-correct this pension system and create something sustainable for the city."

Withers also said fixing the city pension system "is next on the mayor's list" of priorities once Providence gets its budget finished. Taveras has described the Target 12 video as "outrageous."

tnesi@wpri.com

Target 12 Investigator Tim White contributed to this report.