Campaign signs for Anastacia Williams and Javier Santos hang next to each other on fences on Manton Avenue in Providence’s Olneyville section on Aug. 10, 2024 — one month before the primary the two lost to incumbent Democratic Rep. Enrique Sanchez. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission was poised to settle a pair of complaints Tuesday over missing information from the financial disclosure forms submitted by the two Democratic challengers who lost to first-term incumbent Enrique Sanchez in the Sept. 10 primary for the House District 9 seat in Providence.
One complaint was settled, but the candidate who formerly held the seat for 30 years is demanding a public hearing to try and set the record straight.
Following an hour-long closed-door hearing, Commission Chairman Lauren E. Jones announced that commissioners accepted revisions made to the disclosure statement filed by Santos Javier and waived a $100 fine.
Javier did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The commission also withdrew an agreement it sought to reach with former State Rep. Anastacia P. Williams.
So many accusations in Providence House Democratic primary contest, so little time to investigate
“We thought there was a settlement at hand, but after speaking a little bit it became clear that it would be better to just go to a hearing,” Ethics Commission Executive Director Jason Gramitt said of Williams in an interview after the meeting.
The Sanchez campaign accused Williams of failing to disclose that she took a new job in September 2023 as community-based organization coordinator for the city of Providence after previously working as a senior compliance officer for the city’s Office of Economic Opportunity.
“Both positions are pretty much dealing with the public — same salary, same benefits — just a different title,” Williams told Rhode Island Current after the closed-door meeting. Her form has since been amended to include the new position.
At issue is the disclosure form itself, Williams said.
Those who have filled out the paperwork in the past are mailed new forms with the prior year’s information along with a box that can be checked off if there is no change. Williams said when filling out the form, her assistant asked if any updates needed to be made.
“And I said no, everything is the same,” she said. “This was not intentional — if I’m guilty of something, I will pay it.”
Williams said she faced an initial fine of $100, the same amount Javier was supposed to be fined before the commission opted to wipe his fine.
Williams called the ethics probe “an act to create an illusion” to attack her character ahead of the Sept. 10 primary.
“I’m not a shyster,” she said.
Williams’ public hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next two months, Grammit said.
“She’s within her rights to handle it however she wants and we’ll leave it to the authorities to resolve the complaint,” Sanchez said in a statement.
Sanchez drew more than 50% of the vote in the Sept. 10 primary, drawing nearly twice as much support as Javier. Williams, who held the seat for 20 years before being ousted by Sanchez in 2022, finished third.
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