PROVIDENCE -- In a stunning political development, Senate President William V. Irons announced yesterday that he is calling it quits.
Irons, D-East Providence, said that he will step aside as the first president of the Senate at noon today, and relinquish the Senate seat he has held for more than two decades on Feb. 6.
Any legislative seat vacated, for any reason, after the first Monday in February in the second year of any legislative session, remains vacant, under state law, until the next regular election.
Press secretary Greg Pare said Irons chose the date to spare the two communities he represents, East Providence and Pawtucket, the cost of a special election.
Several hours after Irons' announcement, his right-hand man -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph Montalbano, D-North Providence -- told an impromptu news conference that he expects to win enough votes, when the General Assembly reconvenes on Tuesday, to succeed Irons as presiding officer of the Senate.
But, Irons, who has been swept up in the controversy surrounding the undisclosed ties of a key ally -- Sen. John A. Celona, D-North Providence -- to both CVS and Blue Cross & Blue Shield, issued a five-page statement in which he said he was leaving to spare the Senate a "petty" internecine fight.
In his statement, Irons said: "After 21 years, questions have been raised about me, my clients and my livelihood . . . despite the fact that I have sought and received assurance from the state Ethics Commission that my activities were appropriate and proper."
Irons said he could stay and fight the "swirl of innuendo," surrounding his refusal to name the clients of his private insurance business and, more specifically, to say whether CVS is one of those clients.
But, "this battle would mire the Senate in petty, internal bickering . . . when there are so many more important issues to address," he said.
"When the time comes that my presence hinders the conduct of the people's business more than it helps, it is time to go," Irons said.
In an interview, Irons said, "I hope the members of the Senate who wanted to make a fight will now focus their energies on moving forward and getting the job done.
"I think Majority Leader Montalbano will be the next Senate president," Irons said. "I know him to be a hard-working man who cares about the state of Rhode Island."
Irons said he has no regrets about leaving. "I'm not angry," he said. "I have no venom."
A short man with a fiery temper and gift for oratory, Irons has been a fixture in the Senate since the special Senate election of June 1983, when he rode the wave of reform that knocked another former Senate leader, Rocco Quattrocchi, from power.
Yesterday's announcement drew myriad reactions from the state's political establishment.
House Speaker William J. Murphy, D-West Warwick, lauded "the 21 years of service that Senate President Irons has given to the state of Rhode Island," and wished him "success in his future endeavors."
Republican Governor Carcieri said he and Irons have shared a number of common interests, from economic development to separation of powers, and he trusts "that Senator Irons believes that he has made the appropriate personal and professional judgment."
"I think Bill Irons made the right decision for the Senate. I think he made the right decision for himself," said Sen. J. Michael Lenihan, D-East Greenwich.
"As in any situation like this, you are saddened when someone who you served with for a long time leaves under circumstances like this. So there is no elation in my emotions today," said Lenihan, but now the Senate can "select a new leader and move forward."
Paul S. Kelly, the former Senate majority leader whom Irons replaced, after his own political coup, said he was surprised that Irons "was taking such a drastic measure. It must be very serious and very weighty for him to take such a drastic step."
In response to inquiries, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch said Irons' departure would have "no impact on the investigation" he has already acknowledged is under way by prosecutors and the state police, into "the issue of payments to legislators for consulting services."
Lynch said: "The investigation was not and is not limited to any one legislator or company seeking to influence legislation. The people's faith in our public institutions is at stake." (When asked yesterday whether he had been contacted by anyone in law enforcement, Irons yesterday refused comment.)
"I believe Senator Irons did the right thing by resigning," Secretary of State Matt Brown said. "This situation points to a weakness in our ethics law, and I believe state law should be changed to require elected officials to disclose any company that provides them with a significant source of income. We need full disclosure in order to have public confidence in our government."
Irons said he has "tremendous concerns" about the impact the episode would have on the General Assembly. He suggested that business people will be less likely to run for the legislature. "I had a wonderful experience," he said. "But if someone asked me, I'd say, 'Stay away.' "
Irons said he raised that concern with Carcieri, saying "if the arena is going to go down this track, then there should be a fully compensated, full-time legislature."
Irons' announcement capped weeks of controversy following The Journal's disclosure last month of Celona's financial ties to CVS and indirectly, through a television production company, to Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Both men have been instrumental in one of the most heated issues that the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Celona, has faced: pharmacy freedom of choice.
Bills to prohibit insurers -- such as Blue Cross -- from limiting where their customers can buy their medications won House approval during the last session, but never made it out of Celona's committee.
Earlier this month, CVS disclosed for the first time that it had paid Celona a "monthly retainer" for his consulting services from February 2000 until last August. Celona did not report the relationship on any of the ethics disclosure statements he filed for the period.
At this point, Celona has taken a temporary leave from the chairmanship of the Senate Corporations Committee, but more than one senator suggested yesterday that he take his cue from Irons and resign as well. Celona did not respond to requests for comment.
When asked what he would urge Celona to do, Lenihan said: "In my judgment, Bill Irons made the correct decision. I think the correct decision is out there for anyone to follow who wants to take and learn a good lesson."
"I think the whole thing is going to be unfortunate," said Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, R-Westerly.
Algiere said it remains to be seen how the small GOP bloc in the Senate -- with 6 of the 38 members -- will vote, but he has little doubt the Democratic majority will elect lawyer Montalbano as the new Senate president.
Asked how he felt about his decision, Irons said: "It isn't easy, but I am ready to go back and be a private citizen, and it is very important for the citizens of the state that the legislature be able to function in a manner that serves the people's purposes. So that is what is going to happen and I am OK with that. I am comfortable with that."
Montalbano said he viewed Irons' situation as "completely different" from Celona's because Irons asked the Ethics Commission for guidance several years ago on how he should deal with legislation that might affect an unnamed client in the pharmacy business.
While that opinion itself is open to interpretation, Montalbano said: "I believe it's a completely different situation because Senator Irons is acting in accordance with an ethics opinion." He said he was convinced Irons' departure was solely driven by "his love of the institution and his love of his family and his desire to not make himself the issue."
Did Irons need to step down?
"No," Montalbano said.
Did you encourage him one way or the other?
"No."
Do you feel Sen. Celona should step down?
"No."
Asked whether he had any concerns that his own work as a lawyer -- including his hiring as legal counsel for the Town of West Warwick -- might conflict with his imminent new Senate role, Montalbano said: "No, not at all. Not at all."
As for who might emerge as the new Senate majority leader, Montalbano had no comment, but several potential candidates have emerged, including Sen. Frank Caprio, D-Providence, whom Irons ousted as Senate Finance chairman, and a second Providence Democrat, Maryellen Goodwin, the chairwoman of the Senate Gaming and Constitutional Issues Committee.
Goodwin was one of the senators in and out of the top-floor Senate leadership offices yesterday. Caprio said he was not briefed on Irons' plan ahead of time, but hopes to be considered for majority leader.
Katherine Gregg may be reached by e-mail at kgregg@projo.com
DIGITAL EXTRA: Read the full text of Senate President William V. Irons's resignation statement:
http://projo.com/news/pdf/20031231_ironsresigns.pdf
