R.I. Assembly to pay former Speaker Harwood's legal bills
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A legislative leadership panel chaired by House Speaker William J. Murphy voted behind closed doors on Wednesday to reimburse former Speaker John B. Harwood $25,540 in legal fees he says he paid fighting an ethics complaint in 2001. The panel known as the Joint Committee on Legislative Services announced its unanimous decision to pay Harwood's lawyer, Lauren Jones, after a closed-door discussion and vote. The fee emanates from a lawsuit that Harwood filed against his successor last year, in which he sought payment for his legal expenses fighting an ethics complaint filed against him by Robert Arruda, the former head of the citizens' advocacy group Operation Clean Government. Operation Clean Government's complaint accused Harwood, a lawyer, of violating the ethics code by representing private legal clients before the state Department of Environmental Management and Department of Business Regulation. It followed disclosures in The Journal that Harwood had handled four cases before state agencies, three concerning liquor license disputes before the state Department of Business Regulation, and the fourth representing a man accused of major wetlands violations by the state Department of Environmental Management. In one of the cases, Harwood, representing a bar owner seeking a license renewal, cross-examined another legislator, Rep. Paul E. Moura, a Providence Democrat who was opposing the bar's liquor-license renewal and who owed his legislative position, deputy majority leader, to Harwood. Operation Clean Government charged that Harwood's representing his private clients before the government agencies whose activities and budgets he influenced as speaker violated state ethics rules. But the Ethics Commission dismissed that complaint, citing a state Supreme Court ruling in a seemingly unrelated case. In that ruling, the court said that it has the sole authority to determine who can practice law in the state. In a November 2001 decision criticized by former commission members and staff, the commission - chaired at the time by Richard Kirby, now a Senate staffer - decided that meant it could not regulate the activities of public officials who are lawyers, such as Harwood. Arruda denounced the commission as an "ethically challenged" group that remains "made up mostly of political operatives" and ignores its own regulations and staff. But Harwood's lawyer, Lauren E. Jones, said, "We're pleased to have the long, gray cloud lifted." 
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Nothing suprises me about what is going on. These Legislators need a good dose of out the door. Murphy is the same as Harwood, looking out for each other and screw the people. This character
will do whatever is good for his Union Buddies.
He will not take on the Outraegous Pension abuse,
or all the FREEBIES the state can longer afford.
These people in West Warwick must be obvlious to what is going on. It is too bad the rest of us have to pay for their STUPIDITY. WHAT IS WITH THE BEHIND CLOSED DOOR DECISIONS???????
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Nothing suprises me about what is going on. These Legislators need a good dose of out the door. Murphy is the same as Harwood, looking out for each other and screw the people. This character
will do whatever is good for his Union Buddies.
He will not take on the Outraegous Pension abuse,
or all the FREEBIES the state can longer afford.
These people in West Warwick must be obvlious to what is going on. It is too bad the rest of us have to pay for their STUPIDITY. WHAT IS WITH THE BEHIND CLOSED DOOR DECISIONS???????
Report Abuse
Nothing suprises me about what is going on. These Legislators need a good dose of out the door. Murphy is the same as Harwood, looking out for each other and screw the people. This character
will do whatever is good for his Union Buddies.
He will not take on the Outraegous Pension abuse,
or all the FREEBIES the state can longer afford.
These people in West Warwick must be obvlious to what is going on. It is too bad the rest of us have to pay for their STUPIDITY. WHAT IS WITH THE BEHIND CLOSED DOOR DECISIONS???????
Report Abuse
And so...on it goes....on and on and on and on.....
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It never ends in this state. We need a PUBLIC STONING OF THEM ALL!
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And this should surprise us. NOT.
They ALL need to get voted out and REAL folks get voted in and those new folks can tell the unions fools and the lobbyests togoto hell and MEAN those words. This is so sick.
Wonder how much harwood's lawyer really cost him?? Bet me he's making money off of us still.
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This action should surprise us? I don't think so.
Business as usual.
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Voters should know snd be aware that two General Assembly Republicans (or, more truthfully, "RINOS") are on the Legislative Services Committee. They are: Westerly Sen. Dennis Algiere and East Greenwich Rep. Robert Watson. They both are legislators-for-life, RINOS, Democrats in disguise and have consistently over the years voted with and for Democrats in the General Assembly. They both should (A.) end their RI legislative career post haste, and, (B.) come out-of-the-closet and disaffiliate from the Republican party. As a true conservative Republican and former GOP town committee chairman. I say to them it's time to say goodbye. Capt. S. G. Payne, Warwick Neck
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Could the corruption in this state get any worse?
Why the hell should the Assembley A.K.A the tax payers pick up the legal bill for Harwood? We have an enormous deficit coming our way, and this is a worth while experditure of the state assembly?
I think what bothers me most about this is that once again another closed door deal is made to protect one of their own. I am sick to death of this BS and I will do what ever it takes to get rid of these double dealing, corrupt, scum bags in the legislature in 2010.
Enough!
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billy murphy should step down immediately and get lost.no ri politican cares less about the taxpayers.harwood still hangs around the court like he is a big deal.but quite a few people owe their state jobs to harwood.somebody should investigate this closed door settlement.rhode island is a joke.can we find one honest politican
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all that i can say is that,this man and the rest of his fellow thieves have bled this state dry with all of their,closed back door deals.enough is enough!! lock up the state house doors,throw away the keys and lets take all of these so called politicians for the people and throw them to the curb,like yesterdays garbage!!! start fresh next time you vote,throw these blood suckers out. by the way JOHN,HOW IS YOUR NEW HOUSE COMING ALONG? I GUESS YOU ARE RUNNING LOW ON CASH ,SO YOU NEEDED TO TAP YOUR BOYZ AT THE STATE HOUSE FOR SOME PAST DUE FAVORS(TAX PAYER DOLLARS).I GUESS YOU ALL DON'T REALIZE ,"THIS STATE IS BROKE,YOU BUNCH OF AS**HOLES/"
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This OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! What is Murphy and the JCLS SMOKING ?? I should drive up to Providence today to ask for the same PRIVILEDGE. This is CORRUPTION at it's highest point. I just sit here shaking my head. This is a clear signal that it is time for me and my business to LEAVE R.I. John OLeary SICKENING I hope the Governor weighs in.
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