The Cranston City Council’s finance committee has approved and passed back to the full City Council a resolution authorizing an independent investigation into Mayor Kenneth Hopkins’ possession of a British sports car – but only if a lawsuit filed by the Providence owner of the car finds that Hopkins’ custody and use is wrongful.

In a suit filed in Superior Court, in August, Providence businessman David Broccoli names Hopkins and other city employees: Chief of Staff Anthony Moretti, Deputy Chief of Staff Paul McCauley, Director of Building Inspections David Rodio, City Solicitor Christopher Millea, the City of Cranston and others. He accuses Hopkins of "unlawfully taking a private antique car,” owned by him without his permission and without any payment agreement.

A 1975 Morris Garage MGB Anniversary Edition coupe is the vehicle in question that Broccoli said he owned before the mayor took possession of it.

Photographs were taken of the car bearing a city-issued license plate, and the mayor has admitted publicly his possession of the car, its lack of registration and Broccoli’s refusal to accept the mayor’s offers of payment for its purchase. 

Broccoli accuses Hopkins of “fraud, unjust enrichment, wrongful conversion of property, removal and destruction of property, slander of title and violation of procedural due process,” according to City Council documents detailing the case.

Broccoli seeks repossession of the car, damages and punitive damages.

The finance committee’s discussion of an independent probe at its meeting last week brought out voices from both sides.

Cranston resident Karen Rosenberg, who attended the meeting virtually, spoke in support of the resolution.

“What I find so concerning to warrant an explanation, is the tinge of corruption that I find in the fact that the mayor cannot seem to explain what would be a simple matter,” Rosenberg said to the committee. “We deserve to know why our tax dollars are being used for defense of something that the mayor can't explain to the public, and so I urge the council to pass the resolution and conduct an investigation.”

Bob Murray, the mayor’s personal lawyer, spoke against an independent investigation.

“The City Council, to somehow form an independent investigation on this, I think is untimely [and] inappropriate,” Murray said to the committee. “This should stop tonight. We should allow the legal process to conclude, and when it’s concluded, I am confident the city will prevail against the claims against the city officials.”

After all public comments were heard, the committee began discussing the case. At 8:08 pm, they entered a closed session.

The committee emerged from the executive session stating that no votes had been taken.

Councilwoman Jessica Marino proposed amending the resolution so that if the allegations by Broccoli are proven true, the City Council could commission an independent investigation.

The amendment passed, with the Democratic majority voting for it. Councilman Chris Paplauskas and Richard Campopiano voted against it, citing the approach of the end of the year term which would render the resolution void, and his preference to wait for due process in the case before proposing a resolution.

“The city meets when this council ends, this resolution falls off the table and a new council will have to take it up,” Paplauskas said. “We’re not going to know anything in six weeks. Court process can play out for years.”

One of the main points made during the deliberation was that this is not a criminal case.

“It's a civil matter,” Campopiano shared. “I feel it should play out in court the way it is, and then we can make a decision. I don’t want to make a decision on something that's -- right now we don’t know enough about."

A few other Cranston residents also made their voices heard during the time for public comment. Each resident spoke in favor of the resolution, stating overall that the residents of Cranston have a right to know if the mayor had misused taxpayer dollars.

"It is my belief and others’ belief [that] we deserve to know what happened,” said Drake Patten, owner of Hurricane Hill Farm. “If city resources were used in any way. If there was an inappropriate use of a city license plate. These are things that none of us in this room, all of you included, would be allowed to do and just get away with. We'd be in trouble, a lot of trouble."

With the amended resolution passed by the finance committee, it will now head to the full City Council.

The next council meeting is set for Nov. 25, when the council will hear the amended resolution before passing a vote to approve or deny the measure.