House speaker calls for ethics investigation of Hamilton

Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, called today for the House Ethics Advisory Panel to investigate the conduct of Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News.

Howell said he wants to determine whether Hamilton, who tried to get a job in a program for which he sought funding at Old Dominion University, violated the state’s Comprehensive Conflict of Interest Act.

“Virginia has a reputation for good government and I want to keep it that way,“ he said.
The panel consists of five citizen members, including two former legislators.

Earlier today, Democratic candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general called on Hamilton to resign his House seat.

Hamilton has admitted that he erred, but says he will not resign.

Hamilton’s actions “betray the public trust,“ said state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor.

“The bottom line is that Phil Hamilton appears to have attempted to use his position of public trust and taxpayers’ money to enrich himself,“ said Del. Steve Shannon, D-Fairfax, the Democratic nominee for attorney general. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee with Hamilton.

E-mails obtained by the Newport News Daily Press and the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot show that Hamilton attempted to secure employment at Old Dominion University in a program that he helped create.

Hamilton, a powerful member of the House Appropriations Committee, had been paid $40,000 a year as an independent contractor for ODU’s Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership since it opened in 2007.

Last week, ODU and Hamilton severed their relationship.

Hamilton had adamantly denied that he had asked for a job before securing money to start the center. When confronted with the e-mails last week, Hamilton again said he didn’t remember doing so.

“I’m not trying to hide behind anything,“ he said. “I honestly had no recollection of that, but the e-mails don’t lie. The e-mails say it. And the e-mails have my name associated with it.“

Today, Jody Wagner, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, said:

“Delegate Hamilton abused his position as a public servant for personal gain. His apologies and denials fall short. Virginians deserve elected officials who maintain the highest standards of integrity and honesty, and anyone who fails to meet those should resign. I believe Delegate Hamilton should step down immediately, as he can no longer effectively serve the 93rd District.“

On Friday, Howell said in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” to hear about Hamilton’s past actions regarding ODU.

“I believe he certainly did the right thing in resigning his position at ODU and is correct in accepting full personal responsibility for his role in this very unfortunate situation,“ Howell said.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report).