The embattled Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has had a tough time recruiting new members.
The 10-member panel has been four seats shy of a full roster since December — not unusual in recent years. Controversy surrounding the appointed regulatory body did not dissuade Dr. Michael Reuter, a Barrington podiatric surgeon and avid sailor, from seeking an appointment to the council.
In an interview at the Rhode Island State House Thursday, Reuter said his experience on the Barrington Harbor Commission motivated him to help oversee development and public access along the state’s 400 miles of shoreline.
“What got frustrating was we would spend hours talking about local issues, then have to send our opinion to the CMRC,” Reuter said.
His enthusiasm was enough for the Rhode Island Senate to give its blessing to Reuter’s appointment to the council, as submitted by Gov. Dan McKee. The unanimous vote was met with a round of applause.
Reuter did not speak but waved to lawmakers following the vote. He was accompanied by his wife, Alison and 13-year-old daughter Maddy, along with other extended family members.
But a bigger conversation about reforming — or eliminating — the politically appointed arm of the agency is far from over.
Various pieces of legislation introduced in both chambers aim to reverse the tide of complaints against the council for controversial decisions on everything from a Block Island marina expansion — which was later reversed by the Rhode Island Supreme Court — to aquaculture farms and a sea wall built by a North Kingstown country club in defiance of state coastal protections. The most sweeping set of companion bills, from Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, and Rep. Terri Cortvriend, a Portsmouth Democrat, would eliminate the council altogether, reshaping the agency as a standalone administrative one much like the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
Backers of CRMC comprehensive reform include Save the Bay and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. But legislative leaders and McKee have remained noncommittal, pointing to the $1.2 to $2.9 million cost estimated by the state budget office last year.
A separate bill by Rep. Jay Edwards, a Tiverton Democrat, would also abolish the council and funnel the administrative arm of the agency directly into DEM. Meanwhile, Sen. V Susan Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, has proposed legislation that would keep the council intact, but require a three-fifths majority vote — rather than a simple majority — for the council to override staff recommendations.
None of the bills have been scheduled for committee hearings as of Thursday.
During Reuter’s initial confirmation hearing on March 13, members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture made clear that their support of Reuter’s nomination was intended as a stop-gap solution to help the council meet its six-member quorum requirement. Lawmakers could later approve bills to abolish the council, ending Reuter’s term much sooner than the January 2027 expiration.
Reuter on Thursday said he did not know enough about the legislation to comment. However, he stressed the value of having residents from various backgrounds and geographic locations serve on the council.
Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, who nominated Reuter for confirmation, noted that even if any reform bills pass this year, the changes will also need approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“As we can imagine these steps will take time,” Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, and chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture, said. “In the meantime, pending matters before the CRMC and a quorum is needed to conduct their meetings.”
Sosnowski praised Reuter as a “highly motivated individual,” noting his previously expressed commitments to upholding the state shoreline access law and protection of its natural resources.
Senators grilled Reuter with questions during an initial panel hearing on March 13. Reuter, who works as a board-certified podiatric surgeon at Medical Associates of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Hospital’s Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine and The Miriam Hospital, said he was a “man of science.” He also affirmed he would be able to attend the council’s bimonthly meetings when questioned — a nod to the attendance issues that have previously forced the council to cancel meetings and delay key votes because it is unable to reach a quorum.
While Reuter’s day job has nothing to do with the intricacies of coastal habitats and protections, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Roger Williams University and served more than 10 years on the Barrington Harbor Commission.
A Barrington native and lifelong sailor, he serves as rear commodore for the Barrington Yacht Club’s board of governors. He also runs the club’s sailing training program, which has turned into a “great passion,” David Materne, past yacht club commodore, wrote in a March 10 letter to lawmakers.
“He has a strong passion and love for anything to do with the water and getting our youth involved in sailing,” Materne wrote.
Reuter also created and continues to run Barrington’s Invitational Regatta — a first-of-its-kind junior regatta in the region that is free for all participants. The annual event attracts over 100 junior sailors from around the region, Leeds Mitchell, president of MG Commercial Real Estate, said in a letter to lawmakers.
Reuter served more than a decade on the Barrington Harbor Commission, from 2013 to 2024, according to his resume, obtained by Rhode Island Current. Reuter also serves on Sail Newport’s advisory council and on the board of directors for the Providence Community Boating Center.
His appointment fills the vacancy left by former council member Catherine Robinson Hall, who resigned in May 2024, two-thirds of the way through her three-year term.
Hall, a former DEM staff attorney who now works as a coastal policy professor at Williams College, cited work and family obligations as reasons for her resignation.
McKee has not yet named his picks to fill the other three open positions on the council, but is “actively recruiting candidates,” Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee’s office, said in an email.
All but one of the politically appointed members are serving beyond their current term’s expiration date. State law lets appointed panel members serve beyond their three-year terms until a replacement is named or they are appointed for a new term.
Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Sen. Dawn Euer were absent from the vote on Thursday.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
