Advisory Opinion No. 95-11

Re: Mr. John A. Pagliarini, Jr.

This Advisory Opinion is addressed to John A. Pagliarini, Jr., Tax Assessor for the Town of Bristol, Rhode Island. Mr. Pagliarini advises that in connection with his responsibilities as Tax Assessor, he holds the statutory responsibility to place a valuation for purposes of ad valorem taxation on each piece of real property located within the Town of Bristol. Roger Williams University is located within the Town of Bristol and is a tax exempt entity. The Town of Bristol does not collect any taxes from Roger Williams University but is reimbursed based upon lost revenue from the State of Rhode Island via the R.I. Plan. The university will be revalued within the next year. Mr. Pagliarini has recently been accepted to the School of Law. He requests advice as to his activities as Tax Assessor and his activities as a student within the university's school of law.

We conclude that as a student at the university Mr. Pagliarini has no proprietary interest in the university and under these circumstances we find and conclude that no violation of the Code of Ethics will result for John A. Pagliarini, Jr., Tax Assessor for the Town of Bristol while he simultaneously attends the Roger Williams University School of Law located in Bristol, Rhode Island. We conclude that Mr. Pagliarini should be able to perform his duties in the public interest without compromise or conflict because of his simultaneous status as a student at the Roger Williams University.

We caution and advise Mr. Pagliarini that should his duality of status ever cause him to divulge confidential information or otherwise compromise his responsibilities in the public interest, he should notify the appropriate authorities, in writing, of the nature of his interest in the matter at issue, and refrain and recuse from any participation or official activity in connection with said matter. Notices of such recusal should likewise be filed with the Ethics Commission pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §36-14-6.

Keywords

Financial Interest