City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

December 31, 2009

Chicago Compliance and Integrity Survey

Update: January 4, 2010 (see below)

On December 15, Chicago published a Compliance and Integrity Survey that its Office of Compliance commissioned from the Ethics Resource Center, a primarily corporate ethics and compliance research organization.

Ethics Codes & Reform December 30, 2009

It's Not the Law, It's the Ethics

In three cities this week, top officials showed the ability to get away with unethical behavior, but not the ability to distinguish law from ethics.

Poor Judgment All Around

December 30, 2009

Campaign Finance Suit in San Diego

It's only a month ago that a federal court in California rejected a PAC's attempt to prevent the Los Angeles ethics commission from enforcing contribution limits in the city's ethics laws.

Ethics Commissions & Administration December 28, 2009

Independent Offices vs. Independent Ethics Enforcement in Palm Beach County

Update: December 30, 2009

Conflicts of Interest December 28, 2009

Conflicts Involving Local Government, Union Members, and Sister Locals in Rhode Island (Yes, Legislative Immunity Comes Up)

This year, the Rhode Island ethics commission, which has jurisdiction over local governments, has been bouncing around the issue of conflicts of interest relating to local officials' involvement in negotiations with a union, where they or their spouse is a member of a different local union that shares the same umbrella union and, often, the same negotiators and some of the same funds. The public statements on this issue, from representatives of unions and good government organizations, and the quandaries of EC members make valuable reading.

December 27, 2009

Some Consequences of the Misuse of Power Involved in Elected Officials Squabbling

In a recent blog post, I listed the suits filed by Maricopa County's sheriff Joe Arpaio and county attorney Andrew Thomas against other county officials during the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws conference right in the heart of Maricopa County.

Ethics Commissions & Administration December 26, 2009

A Proposal to Make New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board More Independent

The ethics commission for the largest American city, and the only one with a truly appropriate title — New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board — is appointed by the city's extremely strong mayor, with council approval.

If this old and highly respected EC were to be made independent of the administration it oversees, it would send an important message to the rest of the country's local governments.

December 26, 2009

Ethics Commission Allegations Against a Candidate Soon Before an Election, and a Resulting Suit

Here's a tough call. It's a few weeks before a primary election, and you (a local ethics commission member or staff member) learn that a candidate has violated an ethics code provision, and hidden it via a false disclosure. Do you act or do you sit on your hands until after the election?

Conflicts of Interest December 23, 2009

A City Pension Board Attorney's Fiefdom

I talk a lot about the importance of independent ethics commissions. But independence is not always a good thing for local government boards and commissions. Independence without oversight, transparency, and independent ethics enforcement easily turns into someone's fiefdom.

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play December 23, 2009

Report on Loopholes and End Runs Around Campaign Finance Laws from Center for Governmental Studies

End runs around ethics and campaign finance laws are one of my favorite topics to write about. A sizeable percentage of the creative energies of government officials and their attorneys seems to go into coming up with ways of getting around these laws. And then arguing that such laws are of little value since you can't plug loopholes as fast as they can invent them.

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