NEW: Shekarchi Moves to Have Ethics Complaint Dismissed, Refuses to Provide Copy of Motion
GoLocalProv News Team
NEW: Shekarchi Moves to Have Ethics Complaint Dismissed, Refuses to Provide Copy of Motion
Former Rhode Island Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi is seeking to have the Rhode Island Ethics Commission dismiss the ethics complaint filed against him.
It marks the latest since the Commission voted on June 2 to move forward with a formal review of the complaint filed by former Roger Williams Law School Dean Michael Yelnosky regarding Shekarchi’s effort to be appointed to the vacancy on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
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In the complaint, Yelnosky claims Shekarchi's application to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court violates the state’s revolving door rule.
In general, the purpose of the revolving door provisions is to prevent government employees and public officials from unfairly profiting from or otherwise trading upon the contacts, associations, and special knowledge that they acquired during their tenure as public servants.
Shekarchi resigned as Speaker in May.
The agenda filed on Thursday for the upcoming Commission meeting to be held on Tuesday, June 23, shows that item number five is a “hearing in the matter In re: K. Joseph Shekekarchi, Complaint No. 2026-1 on Respondent’s Motion to Dismiss.”
The Commission is also slated to take up the Shekarchi complaint in Executive Session.
"Why not let it just run its course - so that the Ethics Commission can deem either way whether this is ethical or not, and then you could in fact be above reproach if the Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint," asked GoLocal.
Shekachi said he had "no comment" on that, but added that the "briefs speak for themselves."
When asked to provide copies of the briefs, he also refused to provide a copy of the motion to dismiss the complaint and directed GoLocal to his attorney, Tom Dickinson, who did not respond to requests for a copy of the motion.
The Ethics Commission did not provide the filings in the Shekarchi matter when requested on Thursday.
When contacted, Yelnosky said he has not been provided with a copy of Shekarchi's motion.