"What I think I did was just make a well-intentioned decision to reach out to a handful of coworkers to support a friend who I believe in," says William Barbieri.

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, July 13, 2006

BY ELIZABETH GUDRAIS
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is considering disciplining an employee who they say used a RIPTA computer and e-mail account to send a message promoting secretary of state candidate A. Ralph Mollis.

"Ralph is a close friend of mine and I feel that he is the best candidate for this office," the employee, William Barbieri, wrote in a message sent to more than 30 other RIPTA employees last Thursday. The message directed recipients to Mollis' campaign Web site, which Barbieri helped design, for more information.

Mollis' opponent in the Democratic primary, Guillaume de Ramel, was quick to decry the e-mail message as evidence of "a pattern of funding a campaign on the backs of the taxpayers."

"It's clearly wrong, and it seems to be a habit for the Mollis campaign," de Ramel spokesman Tony Marcella said.

Just as quickly, Mollis pointed out that Barbieri's e-mail came to media attention only because de Ramel's campaign distributed copies, and that an ethics investigation into Mollis' campaign fundraising practices also resulted from a complaint by de Ramel.

"His inexperience and his arrogance is showing more and more by the day," said Mollis, who is the mayor of North Providence. "We should be talking about secretary of state issues."

Barbieri is RIPTA's database systems manager, and has worked for the authority since 1977. Reached at his North Providence home last night, he said he sent the message "on a coffee break" and didn't think he did anything wrong.

"What I think I did was just make a well-intentioned decision to reach out to a handful of coworkers to support a friend who I believe in," he said.

In the e-mail, he exhorted his coworkers to visit Mollis' Web site and join the campaign e-mail list. "For those of you who do not have Internet access, call me at extension 120 and I will be glad to sign you up," he wrote.

As a quasi-public corporation, RIPTA receives state and federal funding, though its employees are not technically state employees.

RIPTA spokeswoman Karen Mensel said it's clear Barbieri's message violates a written policy that states RIPTA computers "are intended for transit authority business only."

Because Barbieri belongs to a labor union -- Local 808 of the Laborers' International Union-North America -- the authority's management is consulting with union leaders to determine appropriate disciplinary action, Mensel said.

Mollis said Barbieri has no official position, paid or unpaid, with his campaign, but is "a very good friend" who has helped out with various campaign duties, including Web site design. Barbieri's wife, Lois, works for the Town of North Providence as the recreation director. State campaign finance records show she has given $1,500 to Mollis' campaign fund since 2002.

Mollis said he did not ask Barbieri to send the e-mail, nor did he approve the message before it went out.

But, he said, "I hope he does not receive any repercussions for attempting to help me . . . It's very obvious that there wasn't anything malicious."

It hasn't been an easy week for the Mollis campaign. Just days ago, the state Ethics Commission launched an investigation after de Ramel complained that Mollis' chief of staff, who is also his campaign manager, violated the state Ethics Code by soliciting campaign contributions from town employees.

The de Ramel campaign may take its own action in response to the Barbieri e-mail. Marcella said the campaign is examining whether the message may have violated state or federal laws or ethics regulations.

In the meantime, Marcella suggests the Mollis campaign keep government business separate from the campaign.

"It's wrong to use state or federal or town resources to help promote a political candidate, period," he said.

egudrais@projo.com / (401) 277-3045