PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Council 94 President Michael Downey says his union is hiring as a consultant a Forbes magazine online columnist who has been sharply critical of General Treasurer Gina Raimondo and her pension fund investment strategy.
In a series of columns, Edward "Ted" Siedle, a former federal securities lawyer and investment banker, has blasted Raimondo's efforts to increase hedge investments as "blatant Wall Street gorging," given the risks, high fees and lack of transparency in the industry.
Downey said he met with Siedle in Providence about a month ago and the executive board of Council 94, the largest state employee union, approved the idea to go forward with hiring him at their May 21 meeting.
"We have an agreeement, but it hasn't been finalized yet," Downey said. He said he expects Siedle to start soon and serve as "another set of eyes" to help the union monitor the state's pension fund, and specifically, its hedge fund stake.
Siedle, who founded a firm that investigates the money management industry, began writing about Raimdon April 4, after she was featured in another publication, Institutional Investor, for her work helping to spur an overhaul of the state's pension system.