Ethics reform is difficult without a scandal. If your local government
doesn't have an ethics commission, it's hard to form one. If there's an
ethics commission without teeth, it's hard to even get dentures. And in
Denver, according to an article in the
Denver Post, it's hard to even get information about what happens
after a toothless ethics commission recommends disclipinary action.
There are many right and wrong ways to select an ethics commission. The
rightest ways take the selection process out of the hands of anyone who
could possibly come before the EC, because that places a conflict of
interest at the very center of a process intended to guide and enforce
the responsible handling of conflicts. The rightest ways also prevent
anyone who could possibly come before the EC, or their colleagues, from...
According to an
article in the Times-Herald, a Montgomery County
(PA) judge ruled that the county commissioners do not have authority to
prohibit employees of the district attorney or sheriff's offices from
participating in political activities or running for office.
An
article in the Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise this week raises two
interesting government ethics issues. One involves conflicts based on a
business-related desire to have good relations with the local
government. The other involves conflicts based on campaign
contributions to elected officials who serve on an ethics commission.
Outside Ethics Commission Members
According to an
article in yesterday's Salisbury (MD) Daily Times, the mayor of
Snow Hill (pop. 2400) has decided to look outside his town for members of an ad hoc
ethics commission to deal with an ethics complaint arising from a
zoning appeals board decision.