Rhode Island

The fight to keep Wayne Salisbury from leading RIDOC just turned nasty. Here’s how.

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2024

The fight to keep Wayne Salisbury from leading RIDOC just turned nasty. Here’s how.

PROVIDENCE – The correctional officers’ union is bringing up the 2010 arrest of Wayne Salisbury as they ramp up their fight to keep McKee’s pick to run the state Department of Corrections out of the job.

The charge – obtaining money under false pretenses – was later dismissed.

Richard Ferruccio, president of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, said: “Rhode Islanders deserve to have governmental leaders they can trust to do the job they’re appointed to do. It is disheartening that Governor McKee has chosen to appoint a leader to the Department of Corrections who was charged with a felony for stealing from his employer.”

In addition, Ferruccio:

faulted Salisbury as “unqualified” to be the director and questioned whether he could be trusted to fulfill the duties and responsibilities as required.
Claimed that the prisons are less safe under his leadership.

The union urged members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject McKee’s nomination and called for a national search “for a qualified leader who doesn’t carry the baggage of a felony arrest.”

McKee stands by Salisbury

McKee remained solid in his support for Salisbury, who has served as the interim director for 16 months.

“As acting director with over three decades of experience in corrections, Wayne Salisbury has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to manage challenges in the field of corrections, from assembling a task force dedicated to recidivism reduction, to renewing the department’s focus on staff development and succession planning,” spokeswoman Olivia DaRocha said in a statement.

“We appreciate the Brotherhood of Correctional Officers’ concerns,” she continued. “DOC leaders have and will continue to work with their membership and the advocacy community to identify and implement best practices in areas such as officer safety and recruitment, as well as inmate discipline and education.”

Salisbury stands by his own record

Salisbury also stood by his record.

“As it has been previously reported, the 2015 unsubstantiated charge involving Interim Director Salisbury was dismissed,” corrections spokesman J.R. Ventura said in a statement. “Interim Director Salisbury remains focused on leading the Department of Corrections by advocating for its staff and positioning those in its custody for success upon reentry to the community.”

Ventura also noted that a 2012 settlement was reached without a finding of fault in another lawsuit involving the 2008 death of Chinese detainee Hiu Lui “Jason” Ng while in the custody of immigration officials at Wyatt Detention Center.

A federal judge approved a multimillion-dollar settlement on behalf of Ng’s family. Salisbury was one of over two dozen parties named a defendant in that case.

Looking back: Rocky career at Wyatt Detention Center

Salisbury began as a corrections officer at the publicly owned and privately run Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in 1993 and rose to the rank of warden.

He was fired as warden in 2007, but rehired later that year under new management. He was fired again in February 2010.

In April 2015, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office dismissed a charge against Salisbury alleging that he had obtained money under false pretenses by falsifying the amount of unused vacation time he was owed at Wyatt and collecting more than $16,456 from the jail.

Prosecutors dismissed the single felony count in “the interest of justice,” a filing noted. Witnesses had provided new information that “may impact the ability of the state to sustain its burden” of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The filing noted that Salisbury had been compliant with his bail terms since his arrest in 2010 and had paid restitution.

The Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, which operates Wyatt, voted unanimously to “permanently terminate” Salisbury and his wife, Tammy L. Novo, the jail’s top financial administrator.

The correctional officers’ union noted in its statement that Novo was the CFO at the Wyatt when these payments to Salisbury were made.

Blistering Wyatt report

A 2009 report by Michael V. Fair, a former corrections commissioner in Massachusetts, was highly critical of the jail’s management team and its relationship with its board of directors.

The report detailed that Salisbury reworked the jail’s organizational chart by placing the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Corporation under him instead of having Novo, his wife, report to the board “as an equal to the warden as it was originally established by the board.”

“This one act, implemented by the warden without the benefit of discussion or approval from the board, has placed the warden in a position with much more authority and power than the board ever conferred on him,” the report said.

The report stated that the CFO previously “noted that she took a risk by withholding her responses thereby delaying the issuance of the audit report. She was aware that the audit report was to be a `Going Concern’ and that she wanted to avoid such an opinion.”

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Rhode Island

GoLocalProv | News | Gov. McKee’s Schedule for the First 10 Days of the New Year

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

GoLocalProv | News | Gov. McKee’s Schedule for the First 10 Days of the New Year

Saturday, January 10, 2026

GoLocalProv News Team

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Governor Dan McKee PHOTO: GoLocal

It’s a new year, filled with new challenges. The General Assembly is back in session. Rhode Island’s economy is flat at best, and according to the University of Rhode Island economist Leonard Lardaro, the state is in a recession. Rhode Island is also in daily legal conflict with the Trump administration.

Add that the state is trying to recover from a mass shooting at Brown University, which killed two students and wounded nine others.

For Governor Dan McKee, it is a critical time.

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He has announced he is running for reelection—the Democratic primary is just nine months away.

McKee’s poll numbers have plummeted to record lows.

A poll released by the University of New Hampshire in November of 2025 found that in the race for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Rhode Island, 29% of likely Democratic primary voters (N=359) say they would currently vote for former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, 13% would vote for Speaker of the RI House of Representatives Joe Shekarchi, 11% would vote for incumbent Governor Dan McKee, 6% would write in someone else, and 42% are undecided.

Is the 74-year-old McKee criss-crossing the state to reassure Rhode Islanders, listening to residents’ ideas, and sharing his vision for the state in his second term?

GoLocal offers a recap of the McKees’ public schedule for the first ten days of the month.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 & SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2026

No public events.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2026

No public events.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

2:00 PM

Governor McKee will deliver remarks at the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty’s 18th Annual Interfaith Poverty Vigil.

LOCATION:

RI State House Rotunda

82 Smith Street

Providence, RI

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026

No public events.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026

No public events.

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2026

9:30 AM

Governor McKee will deliver remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new community learning center at the Cross’ Mills Public Library.

LOCATION:

Cross’ Mills Public Library

4417 Old Post Road

Charlestown, RI

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3 & SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2026

No public events.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2026

11:00 AM

Governor McKee will join members of Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation and local and state leaders for a rally hosted by Climate Action RI, Climate Jobs RI, and the AFL-CIO in support of Revolution Wind and other offshore wind projects.

LOCATION:

CIC Providence

225 Dyer Street

Providence, RI

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

No public events.

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Rhode Island

GoLocalProv | Politics | Providence On Sunday Is One of the Sites for a National Protest Against ICE

Published

14 hours ago

January 10, 2026

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GoLocalProv | Politics | Providence On Sunday Is One of the Sites for a National Protest Against ICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

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Protest in Providence in June against ICE PHOTO: GoLocal

Organizers in Rhode Island and across the country are mobilizing against ICE after a pair of shootings in the past few days.

Organizers locally said, “Rhode Islanders will gather on Sunday to honor the life lost, make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions, and demand that state and federal leaders reject local contracts with ICE, take every action possible to stop ICE from operating in Rhode Island, and hold ICE agents accountable when they break the law.”

The RI event begins at 2 PM at the State House on Sunday.

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Nationally, it was a announced on Friday that, “A broad national coalition, including Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501, the Disappeared in America Campaign of the Not Above the Law coalition, and partner organizations across the country, is calling for a coordinated ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action.

“The mobilization comes in response to the escalation of ICE violence in our communities, the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old wife and mother of three, and the months-long pattern of unchecked violence and abuse in marginalized communities across America. Across the country, communities will gather in nonviolent, lawful, and community-led actions to honor the life lost, demand accountability, and make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions,” said organizers.

Organizers added, “Good and the Portland victims are part of a broader and deeply alarming pattern of unchecked violence and abuse by federal immigration enforcement agencies. In September, ICE reportedly shot and killed Silverio Villegas González, a father and cook from Mexico living in Chicago. In 2025 alone, more than 30 people have reportedly died in ICE detention.”

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island General Assembly Begins 2026 Session With Focus on Affordability – Newport Buzz

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

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Rhode Island General Assembly Begins 2026 Session With Focus on Affordability – Newport Buzz

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island lawmakers opened the 2026 legislative session this week with a focus on health care affordability, housing costs and economic stability, as leaders in both chambers warned of uncertainty tied to federal budget changes.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi outlined House priorities centered on expanding access to health care while lowering costs, calling it the chamber’s top agenda item for the year. He also said lawmakers will continue addressing housing shortages and rising home energy costs, emphasizing the need for community input as policy decisions move forward.

In the Senate, President Valarie J. Lawson convened the chamber by urging bipartisan cooperation and announcing plans to introduce legislation supporting education, small businesses and the state’s health care system. Stabilizing hospitals and strengthening the primary care workforce were identified as key goals.

Both chambers paused to honor victims of the Dec. 13 shooting at Brown University, passing resolutions recognizing the victims and commending first responders. Lawmakers also observed a moment of silence.

New legislation introduced by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara would require the Department of Education to adopt a zero-tolerance hazing policy in partnership with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, mandating clear and consistent discipline statewide.

Meanwhile, Reps. David Morales and Jennifer Stewart called on Gov. Dan McKee to fully fund public libraries in the upcoming state budget.

Speaker Shekarchi also announced several committee leadership changes, appointing Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee as chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee and Rep. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith as chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee.

The week also marked the first Senate session for Sen. Stefano V. Famiglietti, who received committee assignments following his election to fill a vacant seat.

Legislative leaders capped the week by joining faith leaders at the 18th annual Rhode Island Interfaith Poverty Vigil at the State House, calling attention to legislation aimed at reducing poverty statewide.

Temporary erosion protection systems installed at Second Beach in Middletown, Rhode Island

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