The Block Island Tourism Council met in secret to force him out as president last year, Steven Filippi claims. The matter is related to a television appearance by Filippi during the early days of the pandemic promoting the island as being “fully open for business,” which members of the board claimed broke a board agreement to limit communications while controversial policies were being set by the Town Council. Filippi, owner of Ballard’s Beach Resort, countered that he was speaking as a private citizen and an independent business person.
Shortly after the WJAR appearance on June 11 last year, Filippi said he received a letter via email – a copy of which he provided to The Block Island Times – ending with the first names of all the members of the board chastising him for his appearance, saying that he was walking “a fine line between what is best for our business and our role as board members…you have crossed the line.”The letter said that Filippi had not tried to “straighten this matter out,” leading to their asking for his resignation. The letter is “signed” with the first names: Julie, John, Logan, Julie, Dave, Logan (sic).
Filippi’s attorney filed
