City EthicsBreaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"
A Miscellany
Time Limitations on Ethics Proceedings in Louisiana, and Why They're Bad
Transparency & Disclosure
June 29, 2010
Self-Interest and the Transparency of Local Government Ethics Proceedings
The confidentiality, or transparency, of local government ethics complaints and
proceedings is a funny topic. Most of the time, government officials
want as much confidentiality as possible. They don't want ethical
issues concerning them to be mentioned in public.
But there are times when they want to be able to blast those who file complaints against them, and then they favor transparency. In other words, which side they're on does not involve policy, but their self-interest. It's amazing how often self-interest arises with respect to conflict of interest matters.
But there are times when they want to be able to blast those who file complaints against them, and then they favor transparency. In other words, which side they're on does not involve policy, but their self-interest. It's amazing how often self-interest arises with respect to conflict of interest matters.
June 29, 2010
Conflicts, Suits, and Questions Galore in Georgia
You be the judge. According to an
article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a board member of a
Georgia-based insurance company set up ten PACs in Alabama that
together gave $120,000 — ten times the legal limit — to a candidate for
Georgia insurance commissioner.
June 28, 2010
A Second Constitutionality Opinion in Broward County, Just Like the First
According to a letter (attached; see below) from a Fort Lauderdale attorney hired to provide a second opinion on the constitutionality of a lobbying provision in the proposed Broward County ethics code, the Broward county attorney (who wrote the first opinion) has decided not to continue seeking a declaratory judgment due to its cost to the county and the likelihood that a decision would be too late to serve its purpose (see my recent blog post<
Local Government Practice
June 28, 2010
The Powerlessness of the Powerful
It's amazing how powerless powerful politicians can be. Take New Jersey
state senate president Stephen M. Sweeney. According to an
article in the Courier-Post, Sweeney is not only senate president,
but also director of his county's council (called the board of
freeholders), as well as regional director of a union.
June 28, 2010
Supreme Court Decision on Honest Services Fraud Should Be Government Ethics Call to Arms
Can they convict him simply for failing to disclose information when
he had no duty to disclose? No Alaska law required it, and there's no
federal statute that requires it, so what did he do wrong?
June 27, 2010
Local Government Regulation of Political Robocalls
Image by Joe Wu
Following up on the previous blog post, here is the first of two examples of local government ethics matters involving anonymity outside of an internet context.
Following up on the previous blog post, here is the first of two examples of local government ethics matters involving anonymity outside of an internet context.
Transparency & Disclosure
June 27, 2010
Transparency, Anonymity, and Moral Courage
In
my
recent
blog post on Maricopa County, I referred to the problem of
harassment and intimidation by government officials against other
government
officials and employees. I have also referred in the past to the even
more
serious problem of harassment, intimidation, and ad hominem attacks by
government
officials against citizens.
Ethics Commissions & Administration
June 24, 2010
Alert: Government Ethics Will Not Make Politicians Honest
According to an
article
in the Providence Journal, a Rhode Island state senator has been indicted on
federal charges that he falsified documents to get mortgages and an
auto loan worth more than $1.5 million.
June 23, 2010
Harassment and Intimidation by Government Officials — Another Visit to Maricopa County
What do the BP oil spill and local government ethics have in common?
Kenneth Feinberg.