City Related | City Ethics

March 28, 2014

Why Hilary Krieger Is Wrong About City Machines

Update: April 3, 2014 (see below)

Every so often, someone comes along and says, What's so bad about government officials' ethical misconduct? Isn't it worth having ethical misconduct if it means an effective government?

March 27, 2014

Mayor of City with Self-Regulating Ethics Program Arrested for Bribery

Another mayor has resigned after getting caught by an FBI sting. According to an article in yesterday's Charlotte Observer, Charlotte's mayor, Patrick Cannon, has been alleged to have accepted bribes from undercover agents in return for promises to help them. His alleged crimes occurred when he was a council member and in the five months since he became mayor.

Conflicts of Interest March 25, 2014

Volunteering Professional Services: An In-Kind Contribution or Not?

Can anyone volunteer for a local political campaign without it being considered a contribution? Isn't it everyone's right to do so? Isn't this just about the most important thing a citizen can do, short of running for office herself?

Resources & Learning March 21, 2014

Winter Reading: Robert Dahl's "Who Governs?"

I just finished reading the classic political science book Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City by Robert A. Dahl (Yale University Press, 1961). It might have been the second time around, because I did take an Urban Politics course forty years ago. The book happens to focus on New Haven, the city in whose suburbs I live and whose public campaign financing program I used to administer.

Conflicts of Interest March 19, 2014

Misuse of Government Website Bios for Business Purposes

While researching my last blog post, I visited the webpage of Tallahassee mayor John Marks, and was thrown for a bit of a loop. The first two paragraphs of his bio look more like an advertisement for his law firm than the bio of a mayor:

John Marks, Mayor of the City of Tallahassee, practices law with his son at Marks and Marks, LLC. The firm focuses its practice on utility regulation, telecommunications and Internet law. Appointed by Governor Bob Graham in 1979, he

March 17, 2014

D.C. Mayor Is Burned by a Contractor's Participation in His Election

While I was on vacation last week, the biggest story in local government ethics appears to have been, once again, in the District of Columbia. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and the charges brought by the U.S. Attorney (attached; see below), the CEO of the parent company of a major D.C.

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play February 27, 2014

Local Government Lobbyists, Prohibitions on Use of Funds, and Campaign Contributions

Recently, the hiring of lobbyists to represent cities before state and federal governments and agencies has become controversial. Some people think this is an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds. I don't agree. However, the hiring of external lobbyists (as opposed to government officials who do the lobbying themselves) does raise some government ethics issues, because it adds to the mix highly politicized contractors.

February 26, 2014

D.C. Council Inappropriately Overrides EC Advisory Opinion

Last November, I wrote a long blog post examining an important general advisory opinion from the District of Columbia's ethics commission on the subject of constituent services.

Ethics Codes & Reform February 21, 2014

Seattle's Newly Expanded Whistleblower Protection Code

This week, Seattle's expanded Whistleblower Protection Code became effective (attached; see below). As what appears to be the most extensive local whistleblower code, it deserves a look from any local government seeking to draft or improve whistleblower provisions.

The major changes to the code, according to the ethics commission's (SEEC) website, are:

Employees who report wrongdoing to their supervisor or other person in their chain of command will now be protected from retaliation.

The SEEC will now investigate allegations of retaliation.

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play February 19, 2014

Accepting Campaign Contributions from Those Seeking Benefits

One Indian tribe wants to build a casino, another tribe already has one in the area and doesn't want competition. You're a council member in the city that can effectively block the casino from being built. Both tribes want your support, and are willing to back up that support with campaign contributions. What do you do?

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