Rhode Island Current — CRMC member from Narragansett appears to have lost her eligibility to serve

Aerial view of Narragansett. A resident of the town may no longer be eligible to serve on the state’s Coastal Resources Management Council. (Getty photo)

May 10, 2023

By Nancy Lavin — The state’s beleaguered coastal regulatory agency is facing new scrutiny amid allegations one of its members no longer meets the requirements of the position she was appointed to fill. 

Save the Bay sent a letter to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council Chairman Ray Coia on May 4 contending that Lindsay McGovern, one of seven members of the politically appointed council, is ineligible to serve. McGovern was appointed by Gov. Dan McKee in May 2021 as a designated representative from a coastal community with fewer than 25,000 residents who also holds an elected or appointed office in that municipality. At the time she was appointed, McGovern also served on the Narragansett Historical Cemetery Commission.

But according to Save the Bay, which quoted from an email from the Narragansett town clerk in its letter, McGovern hasn’t served on the cemetery commission since November, meaning she no longer meets the criteria for the position she was picked to fill on CRMC. The town’s online list of board and commission members, which the town says is updated regularly, shows McGovern is not part of any other appointed groups.

The allegations come amid ongoing criticism over the politically appointed council, both for controversial decisions as well as structural problems, including a string of canceled meetings over the last six months due to existing vacancies. If McGovern steps down from the council, that leaves just six of the 10 spots filled, meaning every member has to attend every meeting to fulfill quorum requirements.

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