Ethics reform aimed at political opponents is a good way to undermine the whole idea of ethics reform. This is what is happening in San Jose.
San Jose starts off with an odd ethics program. Title 12: Ethics Provisions does not even have a conflict of
interest provision, nor does the city have an ethics commission. It is primarily
a campaign finance and lobbying law, with a gift...
Many of the most difficult situations in government ethics involve
relationships that are not direct. For example, situations where the
company that provides a benefit does not do business with the local
government, but is owned by someone who owns another company that does
do business with or have an interest in legislation before the local
government (click here for
a recent example). Technically, the company...
According to an
article in this week's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a rule
prohibiting Georgia state employees from accepting gifts over $25 is
not being enforced. At all.
How does the paper know these gifts are being made? Because lobbyists
have to disclose their spending on state employees as well as on
legislators (who are not restricted from taking such gifts). Governor...
Update: October 21, 2009 (see below)
Two interesting issues come out of a long, detailed Kansas City
Star
article yesterday about Missouri political consultant, and recent
house speaker,
Ron Jetton.