Jerzyk delays release of Diossa’s travel costs, following GoLocal’s public records request

Monday, August 29, 2022

GoLocalProv Political Team

State House lobbyist Matt Jerzyk, who also serves as city attorney for the City of Central Falls, has delayed a GoLocalProv request for public records about James Diossa’s travel costs during his term as Mayor. Central Falls.

Jerzyk was appointed to the Central Falls attorney’s office by Diossa and has remained in the position under Chief Maria Riveria.

Diossa, as Mayor of Central Falls, reported in his Ethics Financial Disclosure Statement that he traveled twenty-six times that were paid for by third parties.

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According to his campaign spokesman, who said in a radio interview on WPRO-AM those files were improperly filed, “It was a simple violation.”

Diossa is a Democratic candidate for Treasurer General.

According to Diossa’s 2020 Financial Disclosure, his travel for 2020 included 26 trips to countries ranging from China, England, Colombia, Israel and one of the poorest countries in the world – East Timor. Ten of the trips were international.

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Diossa improperly filled out the Ethics Commission’s Financial Disclosure Statement and reported many of the trips in 2020, but some of those trips took place in previous years. The 2020 Financial Disclosure Statement must list only those trips that occurred that year.

However, the reported amounts appear to be incomplete. Third-party financing appears to be less than the total cost of the trip. As an example, Diossa reported that a trip to Taiwan was subsidized by a cultural organization and reportedly cost only $1,950.

And in an Aug. 11 radio interview, Diossa’s campaign spokesman said, “No taxpayer funds were spent on any of these trips.”

On Aug. 12, GoLocal filed an Access to Public Records Act request with the City of Central Falls seeking any travel expenses Diossa incurred during his time in office.

By law, Central Fall has ten business days to produce the documents, but on Friday, August 26, Jerzyk did not submit the travel documents to the public, but instead sent a letter to GoLocal delaying the production of the travel costs for twenty days other work. .

“The City of Central Falls received your request for copies of certain public records on August 12, 2022. Due to the extensive amount of research related to your request, the City has good reason to extend the time period ten (10) days with an additional twenty (20) days. Please note that this is not a denial of your request to review the requested documentation. Thank you for your time and cooperation,” Jerzyk wrote.

Jerzyk’s extension, allowed by law for requests that are broad, delays the release of travel costs until late September, after the Democratic primary.

Jerzyk’s letter did not provide for a procedure for appealing the extension.

Jerzyk and Diossa

Jerzyk and Diossa have long been close political allies, and Diossa’s campaign has made payments to Jerzyk and his wife, Suzanne DaSilva, over the years.

Jerzyk, who began his career as a progressive activist in the 2000s, plays multiple roles today. In addition to his position as a lawyer in Central Fall City, he is a lobbyist for the State House and, for a period of time, was the director of a hemp business.

Jerzyk worked for former conservative House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, a pro-gun and anti-abortion legislative leader. According to state lobbying records, this past session of the General Assembly, Jerzyk lobbied for the e-cigarette company JUUL, Uber and Bally’s to name a few.

Now, Jerzyk’s delay blocks disclosure of Diossa’s travel expenses until after the Democratic primary.

In a follow-up, GoLocal wrote to Jerzyk, “Just going by APRA, we’ve never had a 20-day extension on a travel expense claim before. Are the city’s financial records in such bad shape?”

Jerzyk didn’t answer.

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