Sheehan Blasts Speaker on Ethics Legislation and Mattiello Fires Right Back
GoLocalProv Political Team
Sheehan Blasts Speaker on Ethics Legislation and Mattiello Fires Right Back
Sheehan said about the Speaker's critique of his legislation, "First, to say my legislation is the worst bill the Speaker has ever seen is absurd on its face. As to the merits of my bill, the 'Common Ground' Ethics Amendment is a sound piece of legislation, the product of years of hard work and input from various stakeholders on the issue of Ethics Reform. Indeed, it is a distinct improvement over the previous version of my bill which passed the Senate (nearly unanimously), and was approved by Speaker Mattiello's own House Judiciary Committee two years ago. As such, it is disappointing to hear that the Speaker is slamming the door on a prospective answer to the ethics reform question."
Mattiello Fired Right Back
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“Senator Sheehan’s bill is a misguided approach to the ethics issue. His bill would allow someone with a known conflict of interest to advocate on behalf of an issue, win support, and then recuse themselves from the vote. That is not an appropriate way to deal with the issue of speech in debate. A person with a known conflict should not promote their self-interest," said Mattiello is a statement to GoLocal.
Sheehan then addressed Mattiello's complaint that the legislation would encourage "frivolous complaints" against public officials, which would cause good people to not "want to run for office."
"My legislation would merely extend the ability to file an ethics complaint against state legislators who have been effectively immune from prosecution by the Ethics Commission for public misconduct at the State House since 2009. It also has been my experience, that the oft-cited reason for why good people don't run for office is that they believe the government is corrupt and, that is why re-instituting the Ethics Commission's jurisdiction over the General Assembly is so important," Sheehan said.
Sheehan continued by detailing the process that an ethics complaint would have to go through.
"While private citizens can initiate an ethics complaint, any ethics complaint must be thoroughly be vetted by the Ethics Commission prior to any formal charge can be brought against a public official. Anyone who files a frivolous complaint can be fined.
Gotcha Politics
Mattiello is having no part of Sheehan's claims. "I am concerned about ‘gotcha’ politics. Good people won’t run for office because of frivolous complaints at election time because of the stress it places on them and their families," said Mattiello.
“I am striving to strike the proper balance between the Ethics Commission and the General Assembly, taking into account that conflict-of-interest oversight would require the modification of the speech in debate clause. This is an issue that requires a comprehensive solution that I am currently working on,” said the Speaker
In a now unlikely twist Sheehan said he wanted to meet with the Speaker, "I am prepared to meet with the Speaker at any time to move an ethics amendment forward this year. If we are successful, the General Assembly can help restore a modicum of vital trust between the people of RI and their government."
Raimondo and Mattiello - Friction Going Into the 2016 Session
1)
HealthSource
Mattiello has long questioned why little Rhode Island has its own health exchange. His questions center around scale, cost and long-term viability. Raimondo had been defending the Chafee initiative, but the move of Anya Rader Wallack from her leadership position at HealthSource to Medicaid (right when open enrollment started, to boot) is one of the indications of Raimondo’s walk away.
As GoLocal reported in January, Walack’s program in Vermont ended up failing under her leadership
Now the question is, will Raimondo make the policy change in her budget or make Mattiello do the dirty work?
2)
Tolls
Raimondo has been the champion of an ever-changing funding scheme to rebuild Rhode Island’s infrastructure.
No one questions the need to rehab Rhode Island’s failed bridges and roads, but most everyone has raised questions about the constantly changing funding structure and the corresponding lack of disclosure.
Raimondo’s request to legislative leaders has been to pass legislation - and to trust her and her administration. Last session of the General Assembly the Senate functionally went along with the plan and the House held firm on wanting to see the numbers.
Now, it is six-months later and much of the plan has not been disclosed to legislative leaders, the public or the media.
3)
Irony of Transparency
For decades, Rhode Island Speakers have been wildly criticized for being all powerful, Machiavellian, and highly secretive, but in this unusual situation it is often that Mattiello is the open, responsive and proactive communicator.
In contrast, Raimondo less than two months ago came under fire from the media and civil rights groups for secrecy, failing to respond to media inquiries, and non-responsiveness to public information requests.
As GoLocal reported in October:
Five organizations, including ACCESS/RI, American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Press Association, New England First Amendment Coalition,and League of Women Voters of Rhode Island, sent sharply wordedletter to Governor Gina Raimondo on Tuesday asking her to issue an executive order which calls on state agencies to "adopt a strong presumption in favor of disclosure in addressing public information requests.
Mattiello, unlike his predecessors, has been the voice of the voter asking for information and requesting greater transparency.
4)
Election Year
The Democratic Governor enjoys a four-year term, but she needs the support of a legislature who is up for re-election with an electorate that is wildly dissatisfied with the direction of the country, the direction of the state, the performance of Congress. It is a Presidential election year which will only add to the volatility.
The Governor who only won the Democratic primary with 40% of the vote and then was elected last November with 40% off the vote hardly has the most powerful bully pulpit to speak from.
For many legislators the smart political step maybe to show independence and raise questions rather than to lock step with her.
For Mattiello, this means he may need to give far greater latitude to legislators to vote freely.
5)
Raimondo a Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Raimondo is trained as an attorney and worked nearly her entire professional career as Venture Capitalist. Lots of Non-Disclosure Agreements, “paper the deal” with agreements and little disclosure.
This training is great for confidentiality as it relates to high stakes venture, but those skills become obstacles to governing in a Democracy during a period when the public demands transparency.
6)
“I am better than you”
There is a growing sentiment among Democratic legislators that the Governor has a “I am better than you” attitude. Raimondo who was educated at Yale, Harvard and Oxford seems to intentionally or unintentionally exude superiority.
As one legislator told GoLocal at the request of anonymity, “The only thing worse than her being pompous is when she tries to act like she is ‘just like everyone else.’ It is insulting.”
The ramifications of the Governor and her staff’s tone is not lost on legislators. Top Raimondo confidant Representative Joe Shekarchi can only do “Shuttle-Diplomacy” so much.
7)
Guns
Raimondo has announced a series of initiatives to restrict gun ownership in Rhode Island. A corresponding pro-gun control campaign is being funded by Democratic heavy weight Mark Weiner and former Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld.
Raimondo uses the issue of gun control as a fundraising trigger with her supporters. The initiative may be good political fundraising, but will put her at odds with Mattiello, who is a strong gun rights supporter who has received high scores for his voting record on from the gun rights organization.
