Politics & Government
Ethics Probe to Scrutinize EP Mayor's Car Rental
Complaint alleged City Councilman and Mayor Thomas Rose tried to get the city to pay for an SUV he rented from Enterprise Renta-A-Car.

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI—East Providence City Councilman and Mayor Thomas Rose is being investigated by the state Ethics Commission after a compliant alleged he tried to get the city to pay for a Chevy Tahoe he rented and ended up racking up more than $5,000 in fees.
The complaint alleges that Rose tried to get the city to cover his personal expenses through the police department's budget.
The commission voted Tuesday night that there is probable cause to investigate the complaint, which comes after a NBC10 report showed an alleged text message exchange between Rose and a city car rental business used by the police department to rent undercover cars. In the exchange—which Rose now says was fabricated—he reportedly promises to pay up on the late bill soon, saying he had been swamped and in meetings.
Find out what's happening in East Providencefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"It's already set up the city granted the PO just need it billed on 2 invoices" he allegedly wrote.
Watch the full NBC10 report:
Find out what's happening in East Providencefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.