The Public’s Radio — Ethics Commission issues opinion on ethics questions around Westerly Town Council president, but issues in shoreline access case remain unresolved
A view from Napatree Point shows a town-designated right-of-way through a parking lot owned by Watch Hill Fire District. Alex Nunes - The Public’s Radio
May 16, 2023
By Alex Nunes — A legal fight over a town-designated path to the beach has put the town council president’s connections to the Watch Hill resort community in the spotlight.
An advisory opinion issued Tuesday by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission says Westerly Town Council President Edward Morrone is not prohibited from participating in council discussions and votes related to the town-designated Fort Road right-of-way that’s being challenged in court by the Watch Hill Fire District.
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission said its response is based on information Morrone provided to the agency. In his written request for an opinion sent April 19, Morrone disclosed that he previously worked as a consultant for the Watch Hill Fire District between June 2019 and May 2022, earning $30,000 for monitoring issues concerning the district at the town and state level.
In its advisory opinion, the commission said, under Rhode Island’s Code of Ethics, public officials are prohibited from participating in matters that can affect them financially, or affect their family members, or business associates. But the commission said it does not consider public entities, like a quasi-municipal fire district, to be “business associates.”
The commission goes on to say it has also permitted officials to participate in issues that could impact a former business associate or former employer, if the relationship has ended and a future business relationship isn’t expected. Morrone no longer works as a consultant for the fire district or the Watch Hill Conservancy, which also hired him to monitor issues related to the vacation home community.
In a phone interview Tuesday, Morrone said the opinion “confirms” what he had already heard from Westerly's town solicitor, William Conley, who didn’t object to Morrone participating in discussions on Fort Road at recent meetings.
But the advisory opinion is unlikely to settle the heated controversy over Morrone’s ties to Watch Hill, and it does not address other concerns raised at recent town council meetings.
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