Michael Browner Jr., principal of Frank E. Thompson Middle School in Newport, was selected by Governor Dan McKee on Friday, October 1, to fill a vacant seat on the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. October 4, 2024. The ethics panel should finally have a full complement of members for its next meeting on Tuesday, October 29. (Photo courtesy of Michael Browner, Jr.)
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission will have a full slate for the first time in more than three years, thanks to Gov. Dan McKee’s latest appointment on Friday.
McKee’s choice of Michael Browner Jr., principal of Frank E. Thompson Middle School in Newport, fills the void left by chairman Marisa Quinn resigned in July. It’s also the first time the nine-member panel has been at full capacity since August 2021, Executive Director Jason Gramitt said in an interview 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 of Common Cause Rhode Island.
“I think it’s important that all committees have a full complement of appointees,” Marion said. “This committee in particular is important because of its power. The Ethics Commission is perhaps the most powerful appointed body in the state, so there should be no vacancies.”
Especially since appointees are not required to be reviewed by the Rhode Island Senate before being confirmed, a provision that could 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, according to the Constitutional amendment from 1986 that created this. For the state ethics board, the governor is given direct appointment power over four of the nine members; the other five are selected from lists by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate and Minority Leader of the Senate.
Browner is the third appointee to the state ethics panel this year, following the appointments of Jill Harrison, a professor at Rhode Island College, in August, and Scott Rabideau, a former Republican state representative, in May. The panel meeting for Tuesday, October 8 has been canceled. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 29 at 9 a.m. in the eighth floor office at 40 Fountain St. in Providence.
McKee, in a statement Friday, praised Browner for his 27 years in education. Since 1998, he has served as an assistant principal, an elementary school English teacher, a high school social studies teacher, and an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University and the University of Rhode Island.
“Michael not only brings extensive knowledge and experience in education and governance, but is a proven community leader who actively works on behalf of Rhode Islanders,” said McKee.. “I am confident that Michael will bring the same passion and dedication to the commission and help continue its mission of maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our state.”
Browner is the third public official to join the ethics panel, joining Harrison and Holly Susi, who work at the Community College of Rhode Island.
Marion expressed concern about the recent trend of including government employees on the panel, given potential conflicts of interest that could arise when reviewing complaints against bosses and colleagues in the workplace.
Gramitt, however, was not concerned.
“I don’t see any conflicts of interest that we can’t manage,” Gramitt said.
Having a full board with a mix of permanent members and new faces is crucial for the panel to function at its highest level, Gramitt said. And it reduces the likelihood of canceled meetings due to the inability to meet the minimum five-person attendance requirement for a quorum.
In 2022, the committee had three vacancies for several months. And according to information from Gramitt, two seats were open from August 2022 to May 2024.
“We have lost at least one commissioner in recent years, but often more,” 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 degree in school administration.
Browner also brings a diverse perspective to the board, based on his lived experience, including as a teacher of color on a predominantly white faculty, while wrote in a 2021 column for the Providence Journal. He is active in the Rhode Island Civic Readiness Task Force and a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church of Providence, where he serves as church organist.
“As a Rhode Islander, 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 to education in Rhode Island will be an asset to the Ethics Commission’s mission. I am excited about the work ahead and the opportunity to serve my home state in a new capacity.”
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