City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Conflicts of Interest January 9, 2010

A Court Decision That Focuses on the Reasons Behind Conflict of Interest Rules

Two months ago, I pointed out Patricia Salkin's new summary of 2009 reported cases dealing with ethical aspects of local government land use matters. I'm finally getting around to analyzing one of them that provides a fascinating perspective on why conflicts of interest are important.

January 8, 2010

A Miscellany

Baltimore Mayor Resigns
Baltimore's mayor resigned on Wednesday, fortunately after being convicted of the crime of embezzlement (albeit for $500 in gift cards) rather than the ethics violation (not yet tried) of failing to include gifts on her financial disclosure statement (see Baltimore Sun article).

January 7, 2010

Family and Conflicts in Broward County (FL)

Many complex conflicts of interest involve the spouses and other close family members of local government officials, as can be seen in Broward County (FL, home of Ft. Lauderdale) according to an article in the Sun-Sentinel.

Ethics Commissions & Administration January 7, 2010

A Paean to a Local Ethics Commission

It's worth a look at Philadelphia columnist Dave Davies' last column after twenty-five years on the job. It's something rarely seen in the local government ethics world: a hymn of praise to a local ethics commission, which he calls "a watchdog that isn't afraid to bite."

Ethics Commissions & Administration January 6, 2010

The Effect of NYC's Conflicts of Interest Board on the Ethics Programs in New York State's Larger Cities

New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board is one of the premier ethics commissions in the U.S. One would assume that its rules and procedures would provide an example, as well as guidance, for the rest of the state. So I would like to look at ethics programs in the other largest (although not large) cities in the state, in order by population.

Buffalo

January 5, 2010

The Use of County Party Committees to Launder Campaign Contributions - An Interactive California Report

Worth taking a look at is the work of California Watch in disclosing the use of county party committees to launder campaign contributions far over the legal limits.

The nonpartisan good government organization presents the data in three different forms:

January 5, 2010

The People Speak: Bruno Trial Jurors' Opinions

If citizens could once in their lives be a juror in a government ethics trial, we would have incredible ethics laws. This is the conclusion one comes to after reading, in an Albany Times-Union article, the comments of jurors in the trial of former NY senate majority leader Joseph Bruno for misuse of office and failure to disclose.

Here are a few of the jurors' comments:

Conflicts of Interest January 4, 2010

Recusal Involves Participation in Any Forum

One of the most common mistakes government officials make is to see recusal as involving only a decision whether or not to vote on a matter where they have a possible conflict of interest. A Phoenix council member and a city attorney appear to have made this mistake.

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play January 3, 2010

NJ Municipal Pay-to-Play Ordinances and a State Contribution Database

Who expects a wonderful local government ethics surprise to come from New Jersey? Check out the Department of State's Pay-to-Play Ordinances page, which provides links, county by county, of municipal ordinances placing a limited contribution ban on those entering into municipal contracts.

Conflicts of Interest January 2, 2010

Compliance and Conflicts in Tallahassee: The Organization Interest vs. The Public Interest

Tallahassee takes a compliance approach to ethics. Its ethics code is aspirational, based on core values. Its ethics training employs a Character First approach. Conflicts of interest are only a small portion of a program that ranges from personnel and transparency issues to harassment, discrimination, and fraud.

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