Advisory Opinion No. 2000-63

Re: P. Suzanne Miller

QUESTION PRESENTED

The petitioner, a Narragansett Town Councilor, a municipal elected position, requests an advisory opinion as to whether she may accept a teaching job with the Narragansett School Department a municipal employee position.

RESPONSE

It is the opinion of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission that the petitioner, a Narragansett Town Councilor, a municipal elected position, may accept a teaching job with the Narragansett School Department, a municipal employee position. Additionally, if she is offered and accepts a teaching position, the petitioner may participate in the Council’s consideration of the Town budget provided that the Council does not consider the School Department’s budget as a separate line-item. If the Council considers the School Department budget as a separate line-item, given the petitioner’s employment relationship with the Department, the petitioner should recuse herself from any discussions or votes relating to this line-item.

Under the Code of Ethics, a public official or employee may not participate in any matter in which she has an interest, financial or otherwise, which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of her duties in the public interest. See R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 36-14-5(a), 36-14-7(a). An official will have an interest in substantial conflict with her official duties if it is likely that a “direct monetary gain” or a “direct monetary loss” will accrue, by virtue of the public official’s activity, to the official, a family member, employer, business associate, or a business that she represents. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-14-7(a). Also, R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-14-5(b) prohibits a public official or employee from accepting other employment that will either impair her independence of judgment as to her official duties or employment or require her to disclose confidential information acquired by her in the course of her official duties. Finally, R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-14-5(d) provides that a public official may not use her office for pecuniary gain, other than provided by law, for herself, a family member, employer, business associate, or a business that she represents.

The Commission previously has concluded that individuals may simultaneously serve as members of a school committee within a municipality while that municipality’s school department employs them or their family members. Likewise, the Commission has held that individuals may serve on a city or town council while a school department within that municipality simultaneously employs them. See e.g., A.O. 95-44; A.O. 95-34; and A.O. 95-15. In an analogous opinion, the Commission recently held that a full-time or substitute teacher employed by the Foster School Department could seek election to and serve on the Foster Town Council. See e.g., A.O. 2000-61. Accordingly, the Commission concludes here that the petitioner may seek employment with the Narragansett School Department while simultaneously serving on the Narragansett Town Council.

Further, the Commission has opined that town council members with family members in their town’s school departments may vote on the town’s overall budget even if by so doing they are voting on school department matters that affect members of their families. The Commission has reasoned that in circumstances such as those, voting on an overall town budget is sufficiently remote from specific items within a school department budget so as not to constitute a substantial conflict of interest. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-14-5(a). Therefore, in the event that the petitioner accepts employment with the Narragansett School Department, she may participate as a Council member in discussions and votes on the town budget; however, she may not vote on or discuss the school budget as a line item or matters related to personnel issues affecting her as a School Department employee. Notice of recusal should be filed with both the Town of Narragansett and the Ethics Commission in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-14-6.

Code Citations:

36-14-5(a)

36-14-5(b)

36-14-5(d)

36-14-6

36-14-7(a)

Related Advisory Opinions:

2000-61

2000-22

99-89

99-43

98-88

98-75

98-37

97-35

97-19

96-69

95-72

95-44

95-34

95-15

93-86

87-6

83-35

81-15

Keywords:

Budgets

Candidate

Dual public roles