'A farce in these days,' Gov. Alfred E.
NY Courts - Part 2: How a Reviled Court System Has Outlasted Critics
Broken Bench
How a Reviled Court System Has Outlasted Critics
NY Senator Bruno's Indictment Shows Us Once Again That Ethics Self-Enforcement Doesn't Work
Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has been indicted
by a federal grand jury, but his biggest crime was not taking millions
of dollars in so-called consulting fees. His biggest crime was standing
in the way of any meaningful ethics reform in New York State.
NY State Bar Association Report on Local Government Ethics Reform
On January 28, the New York State Bar Association issued a
report on government ethics reform in New York State, which
includes a section on local government ethics reform.
NY State Comptroller Reports on Local Government Ethics and Provides a Model Code
New York State's new comptroller (see an
earlier blog post about the prior comptroller's ethical problems)
has recently produced a report based on an audit of 31 New York local
governments and a survey of many more (see the press
release for an overview).
NY's Moreland Commission Recommendations Too Criminally Oriented
New York State's Moreland Commission to Investigate Public
Corruption filed a
preliminary report on Monday. Most of the report involves
state campaign finance and election laws, but many of these laws
affect local government practices, as well. Those involving government ethics criminalize it, and an important recommendation is both too much and too little.
Oakland Council Proposes Ethics Reform Charter Amendment
According to an
article in the San Francisco Chronicle last week, Oakland's
council approved an amendment to the city charter, to go before voters in
November, that would increase the authority of the city's ethics
commission and provide it with the funds it needs to do its job.
Congratulations to the council for what is, in some ways,
Oakland Ethics Reform Initiative Passes
I left out one big local ethics/election story from my blog post yesterday: the
approval of an excellent ethics reform initiative in Oakland, with
an approval percentage of 72%, according to the
KQED News website.
For a description of the referendum, read my July blog post.
For a description of the referendum, read my July blog post.
OAKLAND, CA
Wikipedia Page: Oakland, CA
Public Ethics Commission
The City of Oakland Public Ethics Commission was established in November, 1996.
The mission of the Public Ethics Commission is to promote the highest confidence in the ethics of the government of the City of Oakland. We help ensure that government works the way it's supposed to -- that its people are treated fairly, with honesty and integrity. We do this by:
Obama's First-Day Executive Orders on Ethics and Transparency. Mayors Take Note.
It's an excellent way to start an administration, with two executive
orders on government ethics and transparency. It sends an important
message to governments at all levels that even in the midst of economic
crisis and war, ethics is a number one priority.
Officials Accepting Tickets to Events Where They Have a Ceremonial Function
"Ceremonial function" is one of those terms that is found in many local
government ethics codes (but not the City
Ethics Model Code). However, it is rarely defined except, occasionally, in advisory opinions. The term is generally used to exclude certain gifts from
being either disclosed or considered gifts at all. The result is lots
of free, undisclosed tickets to sporting events, especially for mayors,
and then a minor scandal.
Officials Requesting Police Investigations of Political Opponents: A Serious Misuse of Office
Which is the more troubling misuse of office? A local government
official having a citizen arrested for criticizing him, or a local
government official using tax dollars to pay off a citizen so that it
doesn't come out that the politician has influence over whom the police
arrest?
This choice of evils comes from a Jim Dwyer column in today's New York Times. The article contains two similar stories, one complete, the other still in process.
This choice of evils comes from a Jim Dwyer column in today's New York Times. The article contains two similar stories, one complete, the other still in process.
Officials Soliciting Charitable Contributions from People Doing Business with Local Government
Officials soliciting charitable contributions from those doing business
before them is unethical conduct too many ethics codes allow, often
expressly. Miami-Dade County has in its ethics code what appears at
first to be a very reasonable exception to the definition of a gift:
Officials' and Lawyers' Obligations Relating to Citizen Participation
Yesterday evening, I attended a meeting of my town's planning and
zoning commission. The principal agenda item involved a request for
an amendment to the town plan to allow the building of a private
recycling center in the town. The commission's secretary read a letter from the
requesting party's attorney, who is a member of another town board, withdrawing the request. The letter
said that the principal reason for withdrawal of the request was
opposition to the amendment by a small group of citizens who had
"distorted" the facts.
Officials' Inaction and Anger
Usually, in government
ethics situations, local officials can get away with doing nothing,
especially when the conflict isn't theirs. Few ethics codes have
provisions prohibiting complicity in and requiring the reporting of
others' ethics violations (see the
City
Ethics Model Code's provision for a provision that covers both).
Officials' Personal Opinions and the Separation of Aspirational and Enforceable Ethics Provisions
Many local government ethics codes have a provision that, when officials publicly give personal opinions rather than the government's position, requires them to clearly state
that they are not representing the local government.
Here's the one from the
ethics code in Santa Clarita (CA) where, according to an article
yesterday in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal, the provision has
become an issue.
Oklahoma Ethics Commission Changes Its Confidentiality Rule
According to an
Associated Press article yesterday, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission
recommended a rule change that would get rid of the gag rule on people
who file ethics complaints. The cause of the rule change is two suits
filed against the EC, challenging the gag rule. The suits were filed on
freedom of speech grounds.
Old and New Local Independent Spending in Elections
Update: February 7, 2014
It took the Jon Stewart Show three months to catch up with the City Ethics blog, but it was worth the wait. You have to watch the video they made about the Coralville, IA situation I discuss below. The defense of what occurred is truly incredible.
It took the Jon Stewart Show three months to catch up with the City Ethics blog, but it was worth the wait. You have to watch the video they made about the Coralville, IA situation I discuss below. The defense of what occurred is truly incredible.
On Location: COGEL Meets in the Midst of Serious Unethical Behavior
COGEL (Council on Governmental Ethics Laws) annual conferences are often held at a time and place where there are
serious government ethics issues. Last year, the conference was held in
Chicago the day Gov. Blagojevich was arrested. This year, the
conference was held in Maricopa County, AZ, where few days go by when
there isn't a serious government ethics issue. Maricopa County has got
to be the most dysfunctional county in the U.S.
One Chicago Alderman Goes to Prison, The Rest Claim Legislative Immunity
Never a dull moment in Chicago. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, a now-former alderman has pleaded guilty to bribery and tax fraud charges relating to $40,000 in work done on his home by a developer whose development he backed. This makes him the 29th Chicago alderman to be convicted over the last four decades (including his father, on a similar charge).