Supervisor, board members debate ethics code change

A proposed revision of the town ethics code to bar elected officials from serving as officers of political party committees should be referred to the town ethics board for a recommendation prior to any town board discussion of the proposal, Supervisor Sean Walter told board members at yesterday’s work session, where he asked the board to sign off on a referral to the ethics board.

The ethics board, at its regular meeting Wednesday, declined to review a draft code revision submitted by the supervisor because it wasn’t accompanied by a written referral from the full board, according to deputy town attorney Ann Marie Prudenti, who serves as counsel to the ethics board.

Walter backed off his previously stated intention to ask the board to schedule a public hearing on a proposed revision to ban town elected officials from serving on political party executive committees. The code amendment would have a direct impact on Riverhead Republican Committee vice chairman Mason Haas, who holds the elective office of town assessor and sought the Republican committee’s designation for town supervisor this spring.

“If we try to debate this, I don’t think we’ll get a consensus,” he said. “I want to refer it to the ethics board to come up with some well thought-out recommendations.”

He said rather than ask the ethics board to review the draft ethics code revision he’d asked the town attorney’s office to prepare, he suggested the town board simply ask them to review the code’s “political activity” provisions.

Walter’s suggestion still met with resistance from board members.

“You’re asking the ethics board to look at political activities for something which is purely politically motivated,” Councilman James Wooten said. “It just blows my head.”

Councilman George Gabrielsen questioned the timing of the supervisor’s idea and said it had the “flavor” of something personal.

“We just want to make sure that the motive behind this isn’t unethical,” Gabrielsen said. “Somebody can’t be on a vendetta and that’s initiating something. I’m not saying it is, but I’m putting it out. There’s a reason why everything’s motivated,” he said.

“That’s why you take it away from the town board,” Walter responded. “Let’s take the politics out of this.”

“No, I’m saying what’s behind this?” Gabrielsen pressed.

“What’s behind it is good government,” Walter replied.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said she didn’t understand why the ethics code revision wouldn’t go through the code revision committee. “Why would we go outside the norm?” she asked.

Walter explained that he thought the ethics committee members are the experts on this.

“What’s the difference between sitting on the executive committee [of a political party] and sitting on a committee?” Giglio also asked.

“Personally, I don’t think there is one,” Walter said.

Councilman Dunleavy agreed. “I don’t think any of us should be on a [party] committee.”

Gabrielsen is a member of the Riverhead Republican Committee and Giglio is an alternate on the committee.

“To have a pure heart, to get all shadows away, I think this legislation gets enacted after November,” Gabrielsen said.

Walter said the town board wouldn’t hear back from the ethics board until at least September, probably later.

You’re taking it away from an evil motivation that you perceive,” Walter said to Gabrielsen, “and giving it to a board that is bipartisan.”

Walter asked Prudenti to draft a referral letter for signature by the board, but it wasn’t clear that he had two other board members willing to sign it.

“Once we get three signatures, it goes to the ethics board,” he said.