A former key aide to ex-Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone has faced an ethical fine for applying for senior roles at a nonprofit that was hoping for substantial funding from the county she managed.
Ryan Attard, who held the position of Chief of Staff under Bellone and represented the county’s Opioid Funding Selection Committee, submitted her application for a role with the Family & Children’s Association while still receiving a county paycheck.
The FCA had earlier received a $1.8 million grant for opioid-related funding before Attard became involved with the panel.
Although her application was turned down initially, by the time she joined the committee, she had applied for additional funds.
Interestingly, she resigned from her county role on the same day Bellone’s administration lost its standing, and shortly afterward, she applied to the FCA. However, she still had three weeks remaining in her county position.
She was set to take on the roles of COO and VP at FCA but is no longer there.
The County Ethics Committee has now indicated that a $2,000 fine will be imposed on Attard for failing to recuse herself from the panel’s fundraising activities after applying to the FCA.
Mark Lesco, Attard’s attorney, noted that, looking back, she acknowledged a minor violation of the Ethics Code.
Kim Como, a spokeswoman for FCA, emphasized that Attard was not involved in securing the nonprofit grants she later received.
This ethics breach adds to the controversy surrounding Suffolk’s $105 million opioid fund, which has faced ongoing criticism since its creation from penalties imposed on large pharmaceutical companies.
Current county executive Ed Romaine has called for a comprehensive review, while John Kennedy’s recent audit points out flaws in the scoring system, criticizing closed-door committee operations and raising doubts about the legitimacy of the entire process.
Paul Sabatino II, a former counsel with the county council, remarked, “This was never intended to be a political fund. The goal was to save lives.”
