R.I. Ethics Commission Fines Former Councilor $500

The R.I. Ethics Commission fined former city council Brian Coogan $500 for allegedly failing to report his 2010 financial aid statement in a timely fashion. 

The final order came on May 1 after an April adjudicative hearing, with Mr. Coogan present to offer his side of the story, according to Jason Gramitt, staff attorney and education coordinator for the commission.

According to commission reports, a financial statement form was mailed to his Grosvenor Avenue home in March in 2011 reminding him of an April 29 deadline. In June, a reminder notice was sent out and he allegedly did not file a request for an extension. Letters sent to the address on file was not recorded as undeliverable and no change of address was registered with the city clerk. He filed on Nov. 29 in 2011, according to reports. 

According to the prosecutor's report, in 2009 he also failed to file his statement in a timely manner and paid a $500 fine. He served as a councilor from 2008 to 2010.

According to Grammitt, requiring public officials to submit a yearly financial statement is not an invasive process but it's important to record basic information such as employment and real estate data to avoid conflict of interests.

"It's a matter of transparency," he said in a phone interview. "While these reports aren't that invasive, they do provide the public with a look into where the public officials' conflict of interests might lie."

To read the full investigative report, click on the attached .pdf.