UPDATED: Chair of CRMC Resigns

UPDATED: Chair of CRMC Resigns

The Chair of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council submitted her letter of resignation to Governor Dan McKee on Wednesday afternoon.

In a letter to McKee, Jennifer Cervenka wrote, “Please allow this letter to serve as formal notice of my resignation as Chair and as a public member of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (hereinafter referred to as the “Council”) effective today.”

“In the four years that I have served as Chair of the Council, I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for the expertise and skills of the small, but highly effective CRMC staff, and for the ways in which the Council has carried out its collective objective to preserve, protect, develop, and restore our beautiful, unmatched coastline. The Executive Director and Deputy Director, both present and past, have demonstrated repeatedly their commitment to excellence in their work and fidelity to the standards and policies of our coastal programs. I have learned a great deal through their leadership and passion,” wrote Cervenka.

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McKee's office refused request for comment.

But her tenure was not without a number of significant controversies.

The battle at the CRMC over the role of attorney R. Daniel Prentiss took a number of twists in this spring.

On March 24, GoLocal reported that CRMC member Jerry Sahagian blistered Prentiss for de facto wearing two hats -- both serving as paid legal counsel for the agency in negotiating an agreement regarding Vineyard Winds proposed project and then criticizing the CRMC as it relates to the legal battle over Champlin's Marina -- a fight that was ultimately decided by the Rhode Island Supreme Court.

Sahagian also serves as McKee's campaign finance chairman.

Cervenka had recused herself from discussions of Champlin and Prentiss as she had represented some of the opponents of Champlin's expansion alongside Prentiss prior to her appointment to CRMC.

In the one legal brief regarding the battle over Champlin, Prentiss wrote about CRMC that their actions were “brazen illegality and amateurish execution.” In another citing, Prentiss wrote, “As deeply shrouded in mystery as the CRMC’s secret deal with Champlin’s is, enough is visible to establish its fundamentally and unacceptably illicit character.”

Sahagian and other members of the CRMC board said that Prentiss’ actions were violations of basic legal standards. The Council instructed legal Council Anthony DeSisto to review Prentiss’ action and report back about filing a complaint with the RI Judicial Disciplinary Board.

Sahagian said after the meeting in March, “Prentiss may have violated attorney-client privilege, he did not have a fee agreement with the Council and even charged interest for his bill. He was not properly hired.”

More recently, some CRMC Board members questioned why Cervenka had attended a closed session of the Board to discuss Prentiss' dual role when she had recused herself from consideration of the matter.

Cervenka's Legacy

In her letter to McKee Cervenka said as chair she made significant positive impacts.

"I am proud that after a multi-month evaluation of the CRMC’s personnel and programs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded in a report published last year that CRMC is successfully implementing and enforcing its federally approved coastal zone management program. It also declared the agency to be a national leader in ocean planning, and 'innovative' in its development and promulgation of the Shoreline Change (Beach) SAMP. This is a great recognition for Rhode Island," she wrote. 

Cervenka is a founding partner in the Providence-based law firm Cervenka Green & Ducharme LLC.

According to her professional bio, "Jennifer has over 20 years of experience working with clients on environmental and land use matters. She regularly advises clients on how to assess environmental liabilities, manage environmental risks, value property, comply with environmental laws, and structure the purchase or acquisition of contaminated properties. She also defends clients against informal and formal governmental enforcement actions for violations of state and federal statutory laws and regulations, including appeals of those actions before administrative hearing officers."

Presently, Raymond Coia is the vice-chair of the CRMC.

This story was first published 7/21/21 7:06 PM. This story was updated at 6:15 PM on 7/21/21.