Complaint Alleges NK Town Manager Didn't Disclose he Rents Councilman's House

The chairman of the North Kingstown Democratic Committee has filed an ethics complaint that alleges North Kingstown Town Manager Michael Embury failed to disclose he is renting a house owned by a town councilman.

Matthew Leonard filed the complaint earlier this month. It states that Embury began renting an Armington Avenue house owned by McKay Group Inc., of which Town Council President Kerry McKay was an officer, in August of 2014. Though McKay is no longer listed as an officer as of the most-recent corporate filing of McKay Group “that change in paperwork cannot and should not cure the ethical violation, and in fact was probably executed in order to avoid the operation of the Rhode Island Code of Ethics,” the complaint alleges. “The change in paperwork illustrates knowledge of the ethical problem and therefore, willfulness.”

The crux of the complaint is that according to Leonard, the rental agreement constitutes a business relationship and McKay voted on the budget, which “resulted in financial gain (salary and also increase in salary) to the Town Manager.” Neither disclosed the rental arrangement during council meetings.

McKay told the North East Independent that the complaint is part of a political “witch hunt” and Embury was offered a place to stay when he had trouble finding a new house after selling his house last year.

In a comment on that story, former Councilwoman Liz Dolan echoed McKay’s statements and said that the 2 percent salary increase for Embury was voted on Aug. 4 of last year. At the time, she was Town Council President and it was before Embury and McKay entered the lease arrangement.

The most-recent budget submitted to Embury for fiscal 2016 does not include a salary increase, Dolan said.

“Therefore, even if the lease arrangement is, under the Code of Ethics creates a “business relationship,” President McKay has taken NO ACTION that would compromise his integrity or ethical standards,” Dolan wrote. “Matt, please stop the witch hunt. You are hurting good people, and their families, too.”

Leonard said in an e-mail message that even if the rental arrangement does not violate the code of ethics, “it at the very least gives a serious appearance of impropriety,” he said. “This business arrangement should have been disclosed previously by the President of the Town Council. It is regrettable that an Ethics Complaint had to be filed to seek transparency.”

Embury declined commenting on the complaint when asked via e-mail on Thursday.

A copy of the complaint is available HERE.

Photo: North Kingstown Town Manager Michael Embury (Patch file photo)