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The Maine ethics commission voted Wednesday not to investigate whether a Republican State House leader violated confidentiality laws when she shared a letter with the media that House Speaker Ryan Fecteau said questioned his integrity.

Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo, filed a letter in July with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices seeking “an independent review of the legal and ethical boundaries” of Fecteau, D-Biddeford, holding simultaneous roles in the Legislature and as the head of the Biddeford Housing Authority.

House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Katrina J. Smith, R-Palermo, speaks during a news conference at the State House in April. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

Jonathan Wayne, executive director of the commission, initially interpreted Smith’s request as a formal complaint, which would have triggered a confidentiality clause.

Smith, however, actually requested an “advisory opinion,” which does not have the same requirement.

The contents of Smith’s letter, which outlined concerns about a possible conflict of interest between Fecteau’s two positions, appeared in full online in the Biddeford Buzz and in part on the Maine Wire the day after she submitted it.

Fecteau subsequently asked the commission to investigate whether Smith’s letter appearing online violated the confidentiality requirement.

Choosing not to, he said, would set “a terrible precedent.”

“Lawmakers could be subject to bait and switch requests that are immediately shared with the media to then create an appearance of wrongdoing,” he said.

House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford at the State House in Augusta in June 2025. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

Biddeford Housing wasn’t scared off by the news articles, Fecteau said, but for some employers, that could be enough to withdraw an offer.

“This is not a political game,” he said. “This has very serious consequences for the livelihoods of those who seek and serve in public office.”

To open an investigation, though, the commission first had to determine whether Smith’s letter constituted a formal complaint.

The commission ultimately decided Wednesday that it didn’t, effectively closing the discussion.

But while members made the decision unanimously, they also made it grudgingly.

If a person wishes to file a complaint with the commission they have to agree, in writing, not to share the details of the complaint until the commission decides whether to hear the issue. If they don’t agree, the commission won’t consider the matter.

“It’s clear to me that Assistant Leader Smith never completed the process of filing a complaint and never agreed to keep it confidential,” said William Schneider, commission chair.

Commissioner Sarah LeClaire suggested the law be clarified “so it’s not used in a weaponized way to get a letter out to the press that the public will assume is an investigation,” she said.

“I don’t like what I see in this case,” LeClaire added. “I don’t like the idea of the possibility that this commission was used for some sort of press grab.”