“I have deep respect for the institution and ultimately believe that it is best at this time to support the work of the Commission in an advisory capacity,” Picciardo provided by the Council Secretariat. said in a statement. “We are proud of the work we have accomplished as a committee this year and look forward to the work ahead on behalf of our constituents.”
Mr. Pichardo did not respond to a call for further comment. News of Mr. Pichardo’s campaign finance troubles came amid the Finance Committee’s scrutiny of the city’s budget, but Mr. Pichardo was in the final two rounds of discussion and approval by the committee of tax and spending plans. I didn’t show up for the meeting.
Council President Rachel Miller accepted Mr. Pichardt’s resignation and said he would continue to be “an integral part of the council team.”
According to an audit report obtained, the Elections Commission said late last year that it had found “substantial discrepancies between the balances of campaign finance bank accounts and those reported in campaign finance reports.” Earlier this year, it announced that it had audited Mr. Pichardo’s campaign fund accounts. by Globe.
The audit ultimately found more than $20,000 in unreported spending and donations during the 2022 race. The philanthropic group Common Causes Rhode Island said the senator “should have known better” given that he sponsored a campaign finance bill while in the state senator.
Pisciardo, who has run nine times, won last fall the race for the city council seat vacated by Carmen Castillo. He represents South Providence, Washington Park and parts of the West End.
He signed a consent order agreeing to pay a $3,000 fine out of personal funds. Mr. Pichardo did not respond to The Globe’s questions about last month’s violations, but issued a statement through the Congressional Secretariat at the time.
“I deeply regret these mistakes and assure you that I have learned from this experience,” said Pichardo. “Going forward, I will make every effort to ensure that campaign funds are handled with the utmost integrity and compliance. I am dedicated to serving my voters with transparency and accountability.”
It is not yet known who will succeed Mr. Pichardo on the finance committee, which has a total of five members. City Councilman Helen Anthony, who is the chair, is recovering from serious injuries after being hit by an ATV in California last month.
The commission has been running for the past few weeks with just three members.
Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. follow her on her twitter @Steph Machado.
