Rhode Island
Still Won’t Say Why: Providence OKs a Secret Settlement for the DPW Deputy Who Drew $128K on Leave
What happened
One day after Target 12 exposed eight months of six-figure pay with no public explanation, Providence’s City Council Committee on Claims and Pending Suits approved a settlement covering Department of Public Works deputy director Maureen McManus—and still refused to say what taxpayers are buying.
McManus, who earns $128,153 a year, was quietly placed on paid leave Jan. 10, 2026. She has held the deputy post since May 2021 and ranks second to DPW Director Patricia Coyne-Fague (appointed 2023). The city has repeatedly declined to explain the leave. Committee Chairman John Goncalves told Target 12 the panel approved an agreement regarding McManus in executive session Wednesday evening: “However, the city does not comment on personnel matters. At this time, we are not able to comment on decisions made in executive session.”
WPRI reported that settlement amount, terms, and substance were not made public, and it was unclear when—or whether—both sides had signed. Mayor Brett Smiley’s office and McManus had not immediately responded late Wednesday. The Wednesday meeting was the committee’s fifth on the matter since June; prior sessions produced no action. McManus was placed on leave shortly before major winter storms for which Smiley and Coyne-Fague later faced cleanup criticism; State Rep. David Morales, who defeated Smiley in the Democratic mayoral primary, has said he would hire a new DPW director if elected in November.
Original reporting
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Virtue Forge commentary
Eight months of paid silence, then a closed-door settlement with no price tag, is how a city turns accountability into a black box.
Competent, humble government can protect legitimate privacy without asking residents to fund a mystery and then rubber-stamp the exit in the dark. If Claims Committee members cannot say what the deal costs or why the leave happened, they should not expect trust.