US States


We have created a page for each US State to briefly list the Ethics resources available for that state.

WISCONSIN

Synopsis of State Ethics Program:

The Wisconsin Ethics Board is made up of 6 non-partisan members. The Board's executive director manages the daily administration of the Ethics Code for local officials and the Ethics Code for state officials,and lobbying laws.

Wisconsin Ethics Board
44 E. Mifflin St., Suite 601
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-8123

In addition, the Wisconsin State Elections Board works vigorously to ensure the integrity of the electoral process by enforcing the election and campaign laws.

Kevin Kennedy,
Executive Director (COGEL member)
Wisconsin State Elections Board
17 West Main Street, Suite 310
Madison, Wisconsin 53701
Phone: (608) 266-8005

Largest City:

Milwaukee
(933,221 - est. pop. 2003, U.S. Census Bureau)

Ethics Board
City Hall, Room 205
200 E. Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 286-8641

City of Madison, WI
(Capital City, 208,054 - pop. 2003, U.S. Census Bureau)

Michael P. May, City Attorney
City-County Building, Room 401
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 266-4511
Email: mmay@cityofmadison.com

Largest County:

Milwaukee County
Estimated Population: 933,221 (2003, U.S. Census Bureau)

Milwaukee County Ethics Board

Susan Shields
Executive Director
901 N. 9th Street
Courthouse, Room 212
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1458
414-278-5332

SOUTH DAKOTA

Ethics Contact Person:

Chris Nelson, Secretary of State
Capitol Building
500 East Capitol Avenue Ste 204
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
Phone: Routine Business and Elections: 605-773-3537

Synopsis of State Ethics Program: South Dakota does not have a formal ethics board or commission.
Read former Attorney General Roger Tellinghuisen's official opinion regarding the Code of Ethics for Administrators of the Professional Administrators' Practices and Standards Commission

Largest City:

Sioux Falls

Ethics Contact:
Ethics Board, City Attorney's Office
224 West Ninth Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
Phone: (605) 367-8880

Synopsis of City Ethics Program:
Sioux Falls' Ethics Board is part of the City Attorney's office.

Largest County:

Minnehaha

Helpful Contact Information:
County Commission

Address:
Minnehaha County Commission Office
415 N. Dakota Ave.
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
Main Office Number: 605-367-4206

SOUTH CAROLINA

Ethics Contact Person: Herbert Hayden, Jr., Executive Director, South Carolina State Ethics Commission

Address:
South Carolina State Ethics Commission
5000 Thurmond Mall, Suite 250
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Phone: (803) 253-4192
Fax: (803) 253-7539

Synopsis of State Ethics Program:

The State Ethics Commission was created in 1975 with responsibilities for financial disclosure, campaign disclosure, and ethical rules of conduct. To enforce the statute, the Commission could issue advisory opinions as well as conduct investigations and hearings into complaints.

In 1990 and 1991, Operation Lost Trust gave impetus for a new statute, the Ethics Reform Act of 1991. That Act expanded the size of the Commission and gave it additional responsibilities to include lobbyist registration and disclosure, financial disclosure, campaign practices, and ethical rules of conduct. The statute provided that the Commission could issue advisory opinions as well as conduct investigations and hearings into complaints. The penalty provisions of the statute were increased.

Largest City:

Columbia

Largest County:

Greenville County

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Ethics Contact Person: William Gardner, Secretary of State (COGEL Member)

Address:
Secretary of State
State House, Rm. 204
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: (603) 271-3242

Synopsis of State Ethics Program: A Code of Ethics, which is filed by all agency heads, is available to be downloaded from the Secretary of State's website. Furthermore, the New Hampshire recently adopted a bill to expand the state ethics code and authorize the creation of an executive ethics commission.

Largest City:

Manchester

Contact Information:
The city's website offers a list of Manchester departments, including email addresses and phone numbers.

Synopsis of City Ethics Program: Ethics commissions exist within departments to regulate members' conduct internally.

Largest County:
Hillsborough County

Helpful Contact Information:
County Attorney offices are located at:

Manchester Courthouse
300 Chestnut Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Phone: (603) 627-5605

Spring Street Courthouse
30 Spring Street
Nashua, NH 03060
Phone: (603) 594-3250

Temple Street Courthouse
19 Temple Street
Nashua, NH 03060
Phone: (603) 594-3255

IOWA

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board attends to the enforcement of the state's Code of Ethics.

Contact Information:
Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board
510 E 12th, Suite 1A
Des Moines, IA 50319
Telephone: (515)281-4028
Fax: (515)281-3701

COGEL Members:

W. Charles Smithson
Executive Director
Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board
Des Moines, IA 50309
Telephone: (515) 281-3489
Email: charlie.smithson@iowa.gov

Jan Johnson
Legal Counsel
Iowa Legislative service Bureau
Des Moines, IA 50319
Telephone: (515) 281-3566
Email: jan.johnson@legis.state.ia.us

Largest City:


Des Moines

The city of Des Moines does not presently have an ethics board; however more information about the city's government can be obtained from their website.

Largest County:

Polk County Polk County does not have an ethics board, which is specified only for the county.

Ethics Contact Person:
Rita L. Strmensky,

Office of State Ethics

Connecticut now has the Office of State Ethics, established July 1, 2005. The OSE administers Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 10, Part I for Public Officials and Part II for Lobbyists. The OSE has a 9-member Citizen''s Ethics Advisory Board, and the office is divided into the following divisions:

  • Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board
  • Executive Director
  • Legal Division
  • Enforcement Division
Benjamin Bycel
Executive Director
Office of State Ethics
18-20 Trinity Street, Suite # 205 Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 566-4472
Fax: (860) 566-3806
Email: Benjamin.bycel@ct.gov

An alternate contact is Meredith Trimble,
Director of Education
Email:Meredith.trimble@ct.gov

The OSE''s Web site is: www.ct.gov/ethics.

COGEL Members:

Jeffrey Garfield
Executive Director, Connecticut
Election Enforcement Commission
Hartford, CT 06106
Telephone: (860) 566-7106
Email: Jeffrey.garfield@po.state.ct.us

Mitchell Pearlman
Executive Director, Connecticut
Freedom of Information Commission
Hartford, CT 06106
Telephone: (860) 566-5682
Email: Mitchell.pearlman@po.state.ct.us

Susan Bysiewicz
Connecticut Secretary of State's Office
Hartford, CT 06106
Telephone: (860) 509-6200
Email: susan.bysiewicz@po.state.ct.us

Largest City:

Hartford

Contact Information:
Angel Oquendo
65 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, CT 06105
Telephone: (860) 570-5283
Email: oquend@hotmail.com

Largest County:

Fairfield County
Fairfield County does not have an ethics commission.