AUGUSTA — Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau started a new job as executive director of the Biddeford Housing Authority this week, an appointment that’s drawn questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Fecteau, a Biddeford Democrat, said in response to questions from Spectrum News that he based his decision to accept the job in part on an opinion from the state Ethics Commission.
That opinion, dated July 8, states that staff in the ethics office does not “see any incompatibility in holding both positions under the Constitution of Maine and the legislative ethics law.”
With 186 members, Maine has a part-time, citizen Legislature, many of whom work outside the State House. In the ethics letter signed by Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the commission, he cited the longstanding rule for lawmakers with regard to conflicts of interest.
“As long as the legislation does not result in a unique and distinct benefit to the BHA and you would not benefit personally from the legislation, there appears to be little likelihood of an actual conflict of interest,” Wayne wrote.
Earlier this month, the housing authority announced it hired Fecteau to lead the organization following a regional search. On July 9, Assistant House Minority Katrina Smith (R-Palermo) asked the Ethics Commission for a formal review.
“Speaker of the House holds tremendous power over legislation and public policy,” she wrote. “When outside employment directly intersects with decisions made in Augusta, transparency matters.”
On Thursday, Smith said she could not comment further.
Fecteau said the housing authority administers federal housing vouchers and competes for funding released by MaineHousing, a quasi-state agency. He cited a 1977 opinion that cleared the way for a former House member to serve as executive director of the Van Buren Housing Authority.
“In addition, for the past three years, I have worked at Avesta Housing, which similarly competes for MaineHousing funding,” he wrote. “I have been careful to avoid potential conflicts in that role as well. Any lawmaker with employment outside of the legislature needs to be thoughtful to avoid conflicts given the wide range of issues that come before the body.”
He also noted that his role at the housing authority does not involve any lobbying at the State House. He said the authority does not have a lobbyist but is a member of the Maine Association of Public Housing Directors, which contracts with a lobbying firm to track housing-related bills before the Legislature.
The Maine House and Senate are not currently in session and are not likely to meet again for substantial votes until after new members are sworn in in December.
Fecteau, 33, is running unopposed for reelection to his House seat. If Democrats control the House following the November election, Fecteau said he will run for a third term as speaker.