Facing his own ethics investigation, McKee appoints new member to state Ethics Commission
PROVIDENCE – Gov. Dan McKee has appointed real estate agent Bryant Da Cruz, a former South Kingstown councilman, to a long-open seat on the Rhode Island Ethics Commission.
“I am proud to nominate him to the Rhode Island Ethics Commission where I am confident he will uphold the highest standards of integrity in government," said McKee, who is currently facing an Ethics Commission investigation, in a statement issued by his office on Wednesday.
Da Cruz has been appointed to the open seat previously held by Sister M. Therese Antone, the chancellor of Salve Regina University, who left the commission at the end of 2021, according to the ethics commission.
Da Cruz is a real estate agent, former councilman and volunteer firefighter
According to a summary provided by the governor's office, Da Cruz has been a real estate agent in Rhode Island since 2003 and is the immediate past president of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors. He serves as a volunteer firefighter for the Union Fire District and is a former vice president of the South Kingstown Town Council.
He graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in entrepreneurship.
“I’m deeply humbled and honored to be appointed by Governor Dan McKee. I look forward to serving the people of Rhode Island with the utmost integrity and thoughtfulness as a member of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission,” Da Cruz said, in the prepared statement.
A Google search turns up a January 2019 story in the Narragansett Times about then-Town Council President Abel Collins' public call for “a thorough investigation” into allegations of sexual harassment made against Da Cruz, then serving as the council's vice president.
The allegations appeared to stem from his public disagreement with the school committee vice chair, Sarah Markey – and other committee members – over the potential closing of a school. DaCruz had also been "critical of the ability of Markey, a full-time employee of the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI), to fully serve on the school committee," according to the Times' report.
More: Ethics Commission will investigate McKee's 'free lunch' with lobbyist. What to know.
Da Cruz, at the time, told the Narragansett Times: “If at any time I have offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. ... I am not the kind of person who would intentionally hurt someone.”
When asked what McKee made of the incident, his spokeswoman Olivia DaRocha said: "None of the allegations warranted action by the town or police department."
The South Kingstown Town Council did take action, however, in July 2019. The Council expanded South Kingstown’s sexual harassment policy to include misconduct by elected and appointed officials in addition to employees.
According to The Independent: The policy change stemmed in part from the sexual harassment allegations made in January against Da Cruz. "The claims were administratively investigated by the town, although no further public action was taken and the policy at the time covered conduct by town employees, not elected officials."
Status of McKee's ethics investigation
The Ethics Commission's probe of McKee centers on his Capital Grille fundraising lunch with a State House lobbyist and the since-fired firm that was trying to redevelop the Cranston Street Armory.
The Ethics Commission, responding to a state Republican Party complaint, voted unanimously in July to investigate whether McKee's share of the $228 lunch, paid for by lobbyist and political fixer Jeff Britt, violated the $25 gift limit in the code of ethics for public officials.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant Da Cruz appointed to RI Ethics Commission by Governor McKee
