An Ethics Emergency in Corpus Christi?
Update below
Safra Working Papers
Ethics Commissions & Administration
January 17, 2013
An Ethics Officer Worth Emulating
It's rare to find a newspaper article that truly appreciates the work a city ethics officer does. So I'm including the entire article below. It's from the Jacksonville Times-Union, and Jacksonville's ethics officer happens to be City Ethics President Carla Miller. Had it been anyone else, I would have run the article right away.
September 18, 2012
An Ethics Pledge Proposal Turns Ugly
Local government ethics can quickly become an ugly circus when officials don't really understand it.
September 9, 2010
An Ethics Pledge That's Too Much and Too Little
In May, I wrote a critical assessment of the Luzerne
County (PA) Ethics Pledge.
July 30, 2009
An Ethics Reform Miscellany
It may be midsummer, but it's still a busy season for local government
ethics. Here's how a few local governments are dealing with ethics
reform.
Ethics Codes & Reform
September 2, 2010
An Ethics Reform Online Presentation
The Missouri Ethics Commission has put up a
nice slideshow-with-audio presentation on the many changes made
to its ethics and campaign finance laws in Senate
Bill 844 (it used Adobe Presenter software, but there are likely
other alternatives). It's a good way to do reform-specific training.
September 30, 2009
An Ethics Reform Petition Moves Forward in Utah
It's official. According to an article in
yesterday's Salt Lake City Tribune, a comprehensive ethics
reform petition has been okayed for distribution, with the goal of
placing it on the November 2010 ballot. That requires 95,000 signatures
on a 21-page petition that is far from easy reading.
October 16, 2009
An Ethics Reform/Form of Government Spat in Cuyahoga County
In your county, a major corruption investigation is being conducted by
the FBI. Already, nearly twenty county employees, city building
inspectors, and businessmen have pleaded guilty (see an earlier blog post on the
investigation). Others are holding out. What do you do?
July 16, 2012
An Example of Backsliding
It is common for councils to engage in backsliding shortly after
creating or improving a government ethics program. When there has been a
scandal, councils often go further than they would like to go in
establishing ethics rules and procedures.
Ethics Codes & Reform
May 14, 2014
An Example of Why Towns Need Lobbying Codes
Small towns don't need lobbying registration, because no lobbying of
any consequence occurs there.
Small towns don't need lobbying registration, because no lobbying of any consequence occurs there.
Say it often enough — as local government and lobbying associations do — and people believe it's true. But it's not. And here's a good example why.
Small towns don't need lobbying registration, because no lobbying of any consequence occurs there.
Say it often enough — as local government and lobbying associations do — and people believe it's true. But it's not. And here's a good example why.
Ethics Codes & Reform
November 2, 2010
An Excellent Definition of "Corruption," and America's Fall in the Corruption Index
A week ago, Transparency International published its fifteenth annual Corruption
Perceptions Index, which scores countries on the basis of a variety
of independent reports on and surveys about corruption, including those
from the World Bank and other development banks, and those surveying
journalists, business executives, and international organization staff.
Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play
March 13, 2010
An Excellent Description of an Unethical Environment, and a Proposed Pay-to-Play Rule That Is Relevant Locally
One of the best descriptions of an unethical environment in a
government agency can be found in the
two-page statement that followed the guilty plea of David Loglisci,
the former chief investment officer for the New York state pension fund.
Ethics Commissions & Administration
December 5, 2012
An Excellent Report Recommending an Ethics Program for a Regional Transit Authority
In
October, I wrote a blog post about a report commissioned by
the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority (WMATA), based on an investigation of an
ethics issue involving a Washington, D.C. council member and transit
authority board member. The focus of my post was on the conflicted
situation of a city council member on a regional board.
Ethics Commissions & Administration
November 2, 2010
An Exemplary Ethics Officer Report on a Specific Ethics Matter
An Ethics Matters newsletter from the Atlanta ethics officer is always
a valuable occasion for those interested in local government ethics.
The fall newsletter is no exception (to subscribe, e-mail [email protected]). This is the first
of two blog posts about matters raised in the fall newsletter.
Transparency & Disclosure
March 4, 2010
An Honor System That Didn't Work
An
article
in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer says that the state's
inspector general has found that, despite past problems, the South Jersey Transportation
Authority has gotten its act together, ethically speaking.
February 3, 2010
An IG-Compliance Battle in Chicago
Update: February 19, 2010 (see below)
This blog post is about Chicago, and things are more complicated in Chicago than in other American municipalities. So please read slowly and carefully.
This blog post is about Chicago, and things are more complicated in Chicago than in other American municipalities. So please read slowly and carefully.
Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play
August 19, 2010
An Important Court Decision on Limiting and Banning Campaign Contributions from Restricted Sources
The law on limiting campaign expenditures has been changing over the
past couple of years. But the law on limiting campaign contributions
has not.
The standard in many instances is more liberal than with campaign expenditures, in others it is the
same. And the application of the standard is highly contextual. A law in one jurisdiction, or at a particular time, might be constitutional, while in another jurisdiction, or at a different time, it is not.
February 17, 2010
An Important Local Campaign Finance Decision in San Diego
It's only been six weeks since I wrote about a campaign finance suit in
San Diego, filed by the Republican
Party of San Diego County, a former City Council candidate, a
pro-business group, a union PAC, and a pollster. Yesterday the federal
district court handed down an
important split decision on the plaintiffs' motion for preliminary
injunction.
Local Government Practice
September 15, 2008
An In-Depth Look at Unethical Leadership
It is rare for the news media to look at government ethics any more
deeply than a particular scandal, usually one involving law-breaking,
money, sex, or a public argument between parties or within a party. The
vice-presidential nomination of Sarah Palin has led to the most
in-depth look at government ethics for a long time.
Enforcement & Complaints
January 14, 2014
An Inadequate Ethics Settlement in Dade County, FL
Settlements of ethics proceedings are usually a good thing for
everyone involved. They save officials
the cost of a proceeding and prevent officials from digging
themselves deeper and deeper into defenses, denials, and cover-ups,
which are usually more harmful to the public trust than any ethics violation. They save taxpayers the cost of a proceeding and
of possible appeals. They save the community the pain of going through
an extended fight over an ethics violation, which can hurt its reputation, escalate, and
have long-term ramifications.