Little Compton's newest town solicitor reiterated Thursday that there is no conflict of interest by his serving as both the town's legal counsel and counsel for the state Coastal Resources Management Council, rebuking a claim that one Little Compton has repeatedly made since he was hired here earlier this year.

“As a lawyer for a public body like this," he told council members Thursday, "I don’t vote and I don’t tell my clients how to vote. What I do when I’m asked a question as to the law is give an answer. It’s the same for CRMC.

His comments came in response to a letter sent to the council from Little Compton resident Martina Halsey, who has repeatedly questioned alleged conflicts. The letter, he said, "assumes there is a conflict ... I certainly don’t want to create negative assumptions for the town council, but I did want to say that I think that the assertions in the letter are incorrect.”

DeSisto has sought an advisory opinion on the matter from the Rhode Island Ethics Commission and also wrote to the Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Council Advisory Committee, but said he is still awaiting responses.

In the meantime, councilor Andrew Iriarte-Moore said, "this is getting embarrassing because the solicitor has addressed this multiple times now.”

— Paige Shapiro