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February 4, 2008

Carcieri appoints two to ethics board

Governor Carcieri has named two people to the state Ethics Commission: J. William Harsch, a lawyer in private practice who's served in state government and recently ran for state attorney general, and Sister Deborah H. Cerullo, a Catholic nun and former assistant district attorney in Massachusetts and New York.

Sister Cerullo, who replaces George Weavill, Jr., will serve a term that expires Sept. 1, 2011.

Harsch, a Providence lawyer who was the Republican candidate for attorney general in 2006, served in President Carter's administration, directed the state Department of Environmental Management and served as solicitor in Tiverton and Jamestown. He replaces James C. Segovis. His term expires on Sept. 1, 2012.

“Despite years of effort, Rhode Island’s political system is still beset by many ethical challenges,” Carcieri said in a statement today. “The Rhode Island Ethics Commission needs the leadership to not only prosecute misdeeds under the existing rules, but also to ensure that the current rules are sufficient to cover all the potential conflict of interest situations in state and local government.”

Carcieri said that as a former assistant district attorney and as a law school instructor, Sister "Cerullo is an ideal person to help enforce Rhode Island’s ethics laws."

The governor said Harsch “has proved his worth as a public servant in the federal, state and local governments, and as a private attorney" and that “Bill’s long experience will make him a huge asset to the Ethics Commission.”

The appointments do not require General Assembly approval, Carcieri's office said.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 1:31 PM | Permalink

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Vincent Marzullo | February 4, 2008 4:39 PM link

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