EDITORIAL: Smiley Is Deeply Experienced...at Ethical Lapses

EDITORIAL: Smiley Is Deeply Experienced...at Ethical Lapses

On Tuesday, the Rhode Island Ethics Commission found Providence Mayoral candidate Brett Smiley in violation of state ethics laws and fined him.

This was not his first rodeo.

Smiley is experienced in the dark arts. 

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With Smiley, there is an inherent paradox. He is a smart policy-maker that seems to always border on the political edge. Sometimes, he crosses over.

In a statement to GoLocal after the Ethics Commission ruling, Smiley did not acknowledge that he did anything wrong nor issued an apology.

Ten years earlier, one of the companies Smiley owned was cited by the U.S. Federal Election Campaign Commission.

A GoLocal report unveiled that Smiley's consulting firm, The CFO Consulting Group, was responsible for failing to report $1 million in spending during a Congressional campaign. 

Smiley's Campaign Finance Officers had a $30,000 contract to compile and file reports for the re-election campaign of U.S. Representative Heath Shuler in 2010 -- but failed to report $1 million in advertising spending in the final weeks of the campaign, according to AP reports in 2011. 

"Forgetting to report $1 million in spending is considered a major error.  The FEC documents aren't entirely clear about how the error was discovered. Smiley didn't personally commit the error, but he is ultimately responsible for it," said Jennifer Duffy with The Cook Political Report told GoLocal in 2014. 

 

High Priced Public Employee and Owning High Priced Political Consulting Firm Simultaneously

While serving in top policy positions for both Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and Governor Gina Raimondo — positions in which he was highly paid and had significant influence — Smiley continued to own a series of political consulting businesses. In fact, Providence Elorza’s campaign paid Smiley's firm for work. 

GoLocal reported in 2017:

Over the past five years, Rhode Island state and local candidates have paid a web of Smiley-owned companies just under $300,000. Federal candidates both in Rhode Island and around the country have paid Smiley’s firms hundreds of thousands in additional payments. 

“Smiley's continued ownership of the firm raises the questions that have yet to be answered. In the past we've told GoLocal that Common Cause believes Smiley should seek an advisory opinion from the Rhode Island Ethics Commission with respect to his continued ownership of the consulting firm,” said John Marion, head of Rhode Island Common Cause.

Last October, Smiley defended his decision to own a political consulting firm while simultaneously holding high-level appointed positions in city and state government.

“I am confident that I did it appropriately,” said Smiley.

Smiley is smart -- perhaps cunning is the correct word.

However, his actions continue to raise questions.