Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit have been chosen as recipients of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council’s annual public service awards.
Clements, a 33-year veteran of the Providence department, has risen from a night patrol officer to chief with the rank of colonel. He developed the Community Relations Bureau to better relations between law enforcement and citizens. He has been essential in developing inner-city mentoring programs, community crime watches and safe neighborhoods. Clements will receive the Robert M. Goodrich Public Service Award.
Coit, a longtime environmental advocate and former environmental advisor to Sen. John Chafee, has served as head of DEM since 2011. A lawyer, she was cited for being an “excellent steward of taxpayer dollars” and for developing and enhancing the state’s environmental resources. She will receive the Gary S. Sasse Distinguished Public Service Award, which honors an outstanding state employee.
RIPEC is a business-financed government research group. The awards will be presented formally at the organization’s annual dinner on October 1, 2018, at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The dinner marks the dinner’s 75th anniversary. Bob Woodward, Washington Post editor and acclaimed author, will present the keynote address at the dinner.
