EAST PROVIDENCE — At a special session of the City Council Thursday night, June 7, the body issued a pair of subpoenas to one of its own: Ward 4 representative Brian Faria.

The agenda for the Thursday's meeting listed a discussion of an unspecified investigations being conducted by Attorney Melody Alger, Esq. and Attorney William Dolan on behalf of the city into unidentified actions by Mr. Faria.

The council was also to hear "reports of other city employees including, without limitation, the report of the East Providence chief of police or any other relevant police reports as well as witnesses with knowledge of any such reports."

Also, according to the agenda, the investigations into Mr. Faria's conduct were pursuant to City Charter Sections 2-2. Qualifications; when office shall become vacant; 2-5. Council to be judge of qualifications of its members; review by courts; 2-9. Powers, Subsection 7, Inquire into the conduct of any office, department or agency of the city and make investigations as to municipal affairs; and 2-12. Council not to interfere in appointments or removals by city manager; council to act through city manager in dealing with subordinates.

Among the issues believed to be addressed in the reports were Mr. Faria's alleged direct involvement in personnel matters, explicitly denied from council members per the City Charter, and his alleged unauthorized access of city law department files.

Four of the five-member body were in attendance at the Tuesday's meeting, which lasted for nearly two hours and was spent almost entirely in executive session. Only Mr. Faria, himself, was absent. No members of the city solicitor's department were involved in the meeting.

When the majority emerged into a public forum, they voted to hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

One of the subpoenas issued ordered Mr. Faria's presence that evening. The other demanded he turn over all documents he may have procured from City Hall on the days of April 27 and April 28 of this year. He is to produce said documents in advance of the June 20 session.

No votes of any kind were reported out of the executive session. The council adjourned without further discussion.

Earlier in the evening, Mr. Faria took to his Facebook page, claiming he had little prior knowledge of the June 7 meeting and that he had not been interviewed in any investigation.

Sounding a phrase being used often in national politics of late, Mr. Faria wrote in part, "Tonight’s executive session is simply politics in it’s most obnoxious form. A baseless political witch hunt at you, the tax payers, expense."