Michael Browner Jr., principal at Frank E. Thompson Middle School in Newport, was picked by Gov. Dan McKee to fill a vacant seat on the Rhode Island Ethics Commission on Friday,Oct. 4, 2024. The ethics panel should finally have a full complememt of members for its next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 29. (Photo courtesy of Michael Browner, Jr.)
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission has a full slate for the first time in more than three years, thanks to the latest appointment made by Gov. Dan McKee on Friday.
McKee’s pick of Michael Browner Jr, principal at Frank E. Thompson Middle School in Newport, fills the empty spot left after chair Marisa Quinn stepped down in July. It also marks the first time the nine-member panel has full capacity since August 2021, Jason Gramitt, executive director, said in an interview on Monday.
Full membership is crucial for the state panel, which has the power to fine and even remove elected officials from office, said John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island.
“I think it’s important that all commissions have the full slate of appointees,” Marion said. “This commission in particular is important because of its power. The Ethics Commission is arguably the most powerful appointed body in the state so it should not have vacancies.”
Especially because appointees do not have to be reviewed by the Rhode Island Senate before being confirmed, a stipulation which can create backlogs for other boards and commissions. Members of the ethics panel, along with the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission, are appointed directly by the governor and legislative leaders, per the 1986 constitutional amendment that created it . For the state ethics board, the governor gets direct appointment power over four of the nine members; the other five are selected from lists by the House Speaker, House Majority Leader, House Minority Leader, Senate President and Senate Minority Leader.
Browner is the third appointee to the state ethics panel this year, following nominations of Jill Harrison, a Rhode Island College professor, in August, and Scott Rabideau, a former Republican state representative, in May. The panel’s meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 8, has been canceled. It will next meet on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 9 a.m. at its eighth floor offices at 40 Fountain St., in Providence.
McKee in a statement on Friday praised Browner for his 27 years in education. Since 1998, he has worked as an assistant principal, elementary school English teacher, middle school social studies teacher and adjunct professor at Roger Williams University and the University of Rhode Island.
“Michael not only brings extensive knowledge and experience in education and administration but is a proven community leader who is actively working on behalf of Rhode Islanders,” McKee said . “I’m confident Michael will bring that same passion and dedication to the commission and help continue its mission of upholding the highest standards of integrity in our state.”
Browner is the third public employee to join the ethics panel, alongside Harrison and Holly Susi, who works at the Community College of Rhode Island.
Marion expressed concern about the recent trend of making public employees part of the panel, given potential conflicts of interest that could arise in reviewing complaints against their workplace bosses and peers.
Gramitt, however, was not worried.
“I don’t see there being any conflicts of interest that we can’t manage,” Gramitt said.
Having a full board that includes a mix of tenured members and fresh faces is vital to allowing the panel to function at its highest capacity, Gramitt said. And it reduces the potential for canceled meetings due to inability to meet the minimum five-person attendance required for a quorum.
For several months in 2022, the commission had three vacancies. And, from August 2022 to May 2024, two seats sat open, according to information provided by Gramitt.
“We’ve been short at least one commissioner, but often times more, in recent years,” Gramitt said. “During COVID, or even just normal times when people are on vacation or have other commitments, that was a factor.”
Browner earned a doctorate in philosophy in education from Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. He attended Rhode Island College for his bachelor’s degree and a master’s of education in school administration.
Browner also brings a diverse perspective to the board based on his lived experience, including as a teacher of color among a predominantly white faculty, as he wrote in a 2021 column for the Providence Journal. He is active in the Rhode Island Civic Readiness Task Force and a member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Providence where he serves as the church organist.
“As a Rhode Island native, I am both humbled and honored to accept this appointment to the Rhode Island Ethics Commission,” Browner said . “I am hopeful that my many years of service in the field of education in Rhode Island will be an asset to the mission of the Ethics Commission. I am excited about the work ahead and the opportunity to serve my home state in a new capacity.”
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