NEW: $3 Bar Lawyer’s Complaint Ruled in Board of Licenses Harris’ Favor
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
The Ethics Commission has ruled in favor of former Board of Licenses Chair Johanna Harris, following a complaint filed by former $3 Bar lawyer Peter Petrarca, according to Harris.
Harris, who still currently serves on the Board, provided the following statement on Tuesday:
"Today, the Rhode Island Ethics Commission dismissed Peter Petrarca's complaint against me, ruling that I did not violate the Code of Ethics and imposing no penalty.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn March 2014, when I had been on the Providence Licensing Board for only six weeks, the City's Human Resources Department asked me to address an urgent personnel matter. In response, I provided executive coaching to a senior manager during the month of April 2014. My one-time professional services were performed on an emergency basis for less than $5,000 in compliance with City’s rules for a no-bid contract. Apart from my position on the Licensing Board, I have no continuing contractual relationship with the Human Resources Department or any other City department.
To find a violation of the Code of Ethics, the Commission must show that the conduct under scrutiny was “knowing and willful.” Ruling that my acceptance of the no-bid contract was not a knowing and willful violation of the Code, the Commission noted that I had voluntarily reported my contract twice to the Commission."
Petrarca, which reached on Tuesday, said he "had no comment."
"We thought there was a violation, clearly the Ethics Commission thought otherwise," said Petrarca.
Original Complaint
Petrarca had filed the complaint back in August while Harris was Chair.
"Harris has been doing doing HR work for the city of Providence, which wasn't fully disclosed," said Petrarca in August. "According to email records, she began the work in March, and billed for the work in May. The terms of the contract weren't made available to the public at the time, and this hasn't been disclosed, which is an ethics violation."
Petrarca said that the complaint wasn't filed on behalf of any clients. "This was filed by me, in my capacity as a lawyer," said Petrarca.
The Commission ultimately ruled in favor of Harris.
"Last September, Mr. Petrarca brought suit in Superior Court to bar me from deciding his clients’ cases on the grounds that I would be biased by the mere fact of his ethics complaint. In October, Justice Brian Van Couyghen denied Mr. Petrarca's motion for a preliminary injunction, and in March of this year, Mr. Petrarca's lawsuit was dismissed in its entirety," said Harris in a statement on Tuesday. "In the year that I’ve spent defending myself against the ethics complaint, I’ve learned a lot about the Ethics commission. In the coming year, I plan to write about what I’ve learned."
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