City EthicsBreaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"
Is the Principal Cause of Ethical Misconduct Within Us?
I'm reading an excellent novel right now: Quiet
Chaos by Sandro Veronesi, translated from the Italian by
Michael F. Moore (Ecco, 2004, 2011).
Safra Working Papers
Conflicts of Interest
September 18, 2013
Is Wealth a Vaccine Against Conflicts of Interest?
Here is an interesting government ethics argument. According to a
Lenore Taylor column in the Guardian this week, mining
billionaire Clive Palmer, who is running for a seat in the
Australian parliament, says that he cannot have a conflict of
interest because he is so rich, he has everything he needs.
September 25, 2013
Isolated Scheme or Commonplace Corruption?
Yesterday, a
felony complaint was issued against William Rapfogel, the CEO
of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, a large nonprofit
social service agency that received millions of dollars in grants
and contracts from New York City, New York state, and the federal
government.
Enforcement & Complaints
August 29, 2012
Issues Arising from an Iowa Complaint Dismissal
A number of important issues arise from a case before the Iowa Ethics and Campaign
Disclosure Board (ECDB) last week. The issues include: (1) how
to treat an inadequate complaint; (2) how to treat a complainant in
a proceeding, and (3) what to do when an ethics code and rules may
be inadequate to a situation where there is a strong appearance of
impropriety.
Conflicts of Interest
May 24, 2014
Issues Arising from Auctioning Official's Purchase of Property at Foreclosure
There are three interesting issues in this one minor matter,
involving a Louisiana sheriff's purchase of a house at a foreclosure
sale handled by the sheriff's office.
The Application of Ethics Laws to Foreclosure Purchases
The first issue involves the transaction itself, the particular law in Louisiana, and how more common conflict laws may be interpreted in such a situation.
Louisiana has an unusual law that deals with this sort of transaction:
The Application of Ethics Laws to Foreclosure Purchases
The first issue involves the transaction itself, the particular law in Louisiana, and how more common conflict laws may be interpreted in such a situation.
Louisiana has an unusual law that deals with this sort of transaction:
§1113. Prohibited contractual arrangements
Conflicts of Interest
September 17, 2012
Issues Raised by the Use of DA Office for Collection Purposes
Many ethics codes expressly state that government officials and
employees may not allow the use of city stationery for any purpose
other than city business. The principal goal of this rule is
to prevent officials from using city stationery for personal
purposes, such as campaigns, business transactions, and charitable
solicitations. The rule is part of the more general prohibition of the misuse
of city resources and of the city's power and reputation as the manager
of the community.
Ethics Codes & Reform
October 9, 2008
It Is Honorable for Government to Help People Act More Honorably
The New York Times has an excellent article
today on Alan Greenspan in relation to the current
financial crisis. It provides food for thought about government regulation at
any level.
Essentially, Greenspan believes that the cause of the crisis is Wall Street decisionmakers not acting honorably. However, the decision to regulate, like the decision to pass ethics codes, is to guide people to act more honorably and penalize those who do not.
Essentially, Greenspan believes that the cause of the crisis is Wall Street decisionmakers not acting honorably. However, the decision to regulate, like the decision to pass ethics codes, is to guide people to act more honorably and penalize those who do not.
Transparency & Disclosure
November 19, 2009
It Should Come As No Surprise When Government Counsel Advises the Individual (Joseph Bruno) Rather Than the Office
Update: November 20, 2009 (see below)
February 15, 2007
It Takes a Village: Behind the Indictment of Philadelphia's Vincent Fumo
Either the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is the head of a vicious manhunt unknown since the days of J. Edgar Hoover, or Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Fumo has not only failed to apologize for all that he has done, but he has, like so many unethical politicians before him, gone to the other extreme: denying every accusation and presenting himself as a victim.
Local Government Practice
January 27, 2010
It's Easy As ABC to Create Poor Ethics Environments
Update: February 3, 2010 (see below)
A NC Local Government Blog post yesterday made me aware that there have recently been some very public conflict of interest issues involving North Carolina's alcoholic beverage control (ABC) system, the state liquor sales program, which allows each city and county to have a local alcoholic beverage control board and employees (163 boards in all).
A NC Local Government Blog post yesterday made me aware that there have recently been some very public conflict of interest issues involving North Carolina's alcoholic beverage control (ABC) system, the state liquor sales program, which allows each city and county to have a local alcoholic beverage control board and employees (163 boards in all).
Ethics Codes & Reform
August 7, 2013
It's Gray Between the Cracks
Gifts to a local official can fall between jurisdictional cracks, as
shown in an
article today in the New York Times. They can also fall between
definitional cracks. And between these cracks it's gray.
The article reports that, a couple of years ago, Newark NJ's mayor, Cory Booker, who is running for U.S. Senate, was given money by several high-tech executives to found a high-tech company.
The article reports that, a couple of years ago, Newark NJ's mayor, Cory Booker, who is running for U.S. Senate, was given money by several high-tech executives to found a high-tech company.
Ethics Codes & Reform
August 11, 2010
It's Important to Make Sure That a Confidential Information Provision Cannot Be Used Against Whistleblowers
Whistleblower provisions are extremely important to government ethics, but
poorly worded ethics provisions can undermine even the best
whistleblower provisions, especially in unscrupulous hands. One such ethics provision is the confidential
information provision.
A nurse at a Winker County, TX hospital was charged with felony misuse of confidential information for reporting improper medical treatment by a doctor, according to an article in today's New York Times.
A nurse at a Winker County, TX hospital was charged with felony misuse of confidential information for reporting improper medical treatment by a doctor, according to an article in today's New York Times.
Conflicts of Interest
July 6, 2015
It's Not Enough to Not Make an Exception
In an article on the deportation of Haitians from the Dominican Republic in yesterday's New York Times, a police officer agonizes over the prospect of having to deport his best friend, a Haitian immigrant. “I have no choice,” he is quoted as saying. “It saddens me to think about being ordered to detain someone I really care about. It will be hard not to make exceptions, but I have to go about my job as professionally as I can.”
Ethics Codes & Reform
December 30, 2009
It's Not the Law, It's the Ethics
In three cities this week, top officials showed the ability to get away with unethical behavior, but not the ability to distinguish law from ethics.
Poor Judgment All Around
Poor Judgment All Around
July 5, 2013
It's Time for Savannah to Declare Its Ethics Program's Independence
Update October 7, 2013 (see below)
On Independence Day weekend, I like to focus on the independence of local government ethics programs. The public naturally trusts any ethics program that has not been selected by the officials under its jurisdiction. An EC that is not dependent on the appointment and budgetary powers of a mayor or local legislative body can function, and be seen to function, fairly and without bias.
On Independence Day weekend, I like to focus on the independence of local government ethics programs. The public naturally trusts any ethics program that has not been selected by the officials under its jurisdiction. An EC that is not dependent on the appointment and budgetary powers of a mayor or local legislative body can function, and be seen to function, fairly and without bias.
June 23, 2005
It's time to erect a red light at door to the green room
The [Jacksonville] City Council's now notorious green room had members of the city's Ethics Commission seeing red earlier this week.
May 13, 2009
Jackson County Legislators Abandon Promise to Make Themselves Subject to New Ethics Code
The word from Jackson County (MO) last week was that the county
legislature was "close to
revising the county’s ethics code to include them under its rules,"
according to an
article in the Kansas City Star, as
discussed, very skeptically, in a recent blog entry.
July 4, 2006
Jacksonville Daily Record Interview - Carla Miller
From: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=45455
July 4, 2006
Miller's ethics advice travels well
by Bradley Parsons, Staff Writer
As an ethical adviser to politicians, Carla Miller never has to worry about staying busy.
July 31, 2009
Jacksonville Ethics Commission Takes the Lead in Ethics Reform
In Jacksonville-- where City Ethics' founder, Carla Miller, is the
Ethics Officer -- the ethics commission is taking the lead in ethics
reform, according to an
article in the Jacksonville Daily
Record.
The EC legislative subcommittee is recommending, for presentation to the charter revision commission, the following reforms:
The EC legislative subcommittee is recommending, for presentation to the charter revision commission, the following reforms:
1. Putting the ethics code back into
the city charter
August 29, 2007
Jacksonville Mayor appoints City Ethics' Carla Miller as Ethics Officer
Yesterday in a dramatic speech to the City's Council, Mayor Peyton announced a series of sweeping ethics reforms, foremost of which was his appointment of Carla Miller as the City's Ethics Officer - in his words:
"The establishment of a high-level, in-house ethics officer for the city of Jacksonville. I have asked Carla Miller to take on this important responsibility.