PROVIDENCE – On Rhode Island Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor's last day in one of the state's most critical jobs, Governor Dan McKee named a former high-ranked state lawmaker from his hometown of Cumberland – Daniel Connors – as Pryor's interim replacement.
A former Senate majority leader, Connors – who quit a high-ranked job in the Raimondo administration after his arrest for driving under the influence – has most recently been the chief of staff in the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, making $184,000 annually.
In making the announcement, McKee spokeswoman Andrea Palagi said: "With more than 15 years of experience across Rhode Island state government, Mr. Connors is well positioned to provide transitional support during this time."
"He is not being considered for the permanent position and will return to his role at EOHHS at the end of this process," she said.
McKee's office will interview local candidates for the permanent position over the coming weeks, she said, but a national search may be needed if a qualified candidate cannot be found.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, who championed the creation of the Department of Housing, gave a thumbs up to Connors' short-term appointment, adding:
"It is critical that the permanent housing director, when appointed, has a good working relationship with the General Assembly. We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars and have passed more than 30 pieces of legislation to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis, and it is critical that we maintain that momentum.”
Behind-the-scenes: Leaks and infighting
It is not yet fully clear why McKee chose a former lawmaker over any of the better-known names in the Rhode Island housing field, including Deputy Housing Secretary Deborah Flannery or Assistant Secretary Hannah Moore, as the interim head of the Department of Housing.
This is the state agency responsible for managing hundreds of millions of previously dedicated state dollars and selling a proposed $120 million housing bond to voters.
But the picture that has emerged in recent days is one of an agency beset by employee in-fighting, leaks about end-runs in the award of contracts and complaints to the governor's office about the management styles of both Pryor and Moore, whom Pryor brought into the Department of Housing with him.
The governor's office has not responded directly to a Journal inquiry about the alleged complaints that one, or more, employees of the housing agency brought to the attention of McKee's senior staff. But it referred the inquiry to the Department of Administration which said it "does not comment on personnel matters."
And Pryor made no mention of the hornet's nest he would be leaving, when he, in late June, announced his intention to leave state government within weeks for a still undisclosed job in the private sector.
"There's never a perfect time to leave," Pryor told The Journal.
But after close to a decade leading Rhode Island's economic development efforts as its first commerce secretary and, for the last year-and-a-half as head of its Department of Housing, Pryor said: "This seems a nearly optimal time to transition, given the opportunity that's been presented to me which will enable me to continue contributing in some of the fields that are so crucially important."
Who is Daniel Connors?
Connors, a lawyer, returned to state government in March 2023 as chief of staff to the super-agency that oversees Rhode Island's Medicaid program and its network of health and human services agencies.
He quit an earlier job, as a senior adviser to then-Gov. Gina Raimondo, in 2020 after Narragansett police charged him with driving under the influence.
Raimondo said at the time that Connors “had conducted himself in a manner that was inconsistent with the values” of her administration, and she had to accept his resignation.
His lawyer, then-Rep. Christopher T. Millea, told the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal at the time that Connors "accepted responsibility for his actions," according to previous reports in The Journal.
Court records indicate that Connors was found guilty of refusal to submit to a chemical test.
In 2004, Connors came under scrutiny after he crashed his brother’s Chevrolet Tahoe into a telephone pole, splitting the pole at its base after leaving a fundraiser for then-Cumberland Mayor McKee.
Others seeking job
Others have floated their own names as candidates to become the state's third housing secretary since December 2021.
The list includes Brenda Clement, executive director of HousingWorks RI, who told the Boston Globe: “I’ve been working on this space for a long time in a number of capacities."
On July 8, a relative unknown – Bianca Policasto, the director of planning and redevelopment in Pawtucket – went on WPRO talk show host Tara Granahan's radio show to announce she wanted the job and believing she was qualified.
Policasto described her background as "a little unique," coming from an anti-poverty background, and while she didn't know what Pryor did in his day-to-day, she has been "boots on the ground" and worked with state government and nonprofits.
"So I said, 'You know what? I might as well throw my name out there and see what happens.' What's the worst they can say? No thank you?"
Melina Lodge, Executive Director of the Housing Network of Rhode Island, issued a statement in which she offered "to work with the Governor’s Office in making recommendations about the qualifications, skills, and qualities that the permanent Housing Secretary should possess."
"The chosen candidate must have a deep understanding of Rhode Island's unique housing needs and opportunities, while demonstrating the ability to collaborate effectively with our state’s long-standing network of community development corporations, nonprofit housing developers, and service provider organizations,'' she said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's new interim housing chief will be former Senate Majority Leader Dan Connors
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