Governor pushes RIPTA board to hold meeting over Avedisian. What to know.

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Dan McKee has called for a special meeting of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's board of directors to review embattled CEO Scott Avedisian's status in the wake of a fender-bender that mushroomed into a misdemeanor criminal charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

"Governor McKee urges the RIPTA board to convene a special meeting to review the facts of the Avedisian matter and follow the appropriate human resources protocols," said a statement by his spokeswoman, Laura Hart.

The statement came out minutes after RIPTA board member Patrick Crowley, who is secretary-treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, issued his own call for a special meeting before the next scheduled meeting of the board on April 25.

“As a member of the RIPTA board, I am calling for a special board meeting with the sole purpose of discussion [of] Mr. Avedisian’s employment status with the agency," said Crowley.

"I think it is appropriate for the full board, along with our legal counsel, to meet and review the matter," he continued. "Mr. Avedisian is an employee and is entitled to due process and other rights before any decisions are made about his employment status by the board.”

The chairman of the RIPTA board – state Transportation Director Peter Alviti – "agrees with the governor and is in the process of scheduling a special meeting," a spokesman said. "He has no comment until board members meet and have an opportunity to discuss the matter."

Avedisian involved in hit-and-run in McDonald's drive-thru

A former Warwick mayor, Avedisian pleaded not guilty in Kent County Court on Wednesday to leaving the scene of an accident with damage. The incident happened at about 6:15 p.m. a week ago in a McDonald’s drive-thru on Post Road in Warwick. Avedisian's RIPTA-issued SUV hit a vehicle, pushing it into the car in front of it, according to police.

The initial summons on file at the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal accuses Avedisian of failing to provide information, render aid and notify police following the crash on Wednesday. After an investigation, the charge became hit-and-run.

Both Dominic Kaba and Ariana Andrade were rear-ended in the McDonald's drive-thru. The police say Avedisian's black SUV hit Kaba from behind and pushed her Mercedes-Benz into a Toyota Camry driven by Andrade.

Kaba told police that the man who climbed out of the SUV looked old and his eyes were "bloodshot red," according to the report. After telling both Kaba and Andrade to pull aside, the man "immediately drove off and ran away," the police say Kaba told them.

Asked about Avedisian's status in his $181,796 RIPTA position Thursday, RIPTA spokeswoman Cristy Raposo said: "His job status hasn't changed. He is here and in the office today."

Staff Writer Mark Reynolds contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIPTA board to convene over CEO Scott Avedisian's employment