City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Enforcement & Complaints December 22, 2009

The Willful Standard in Nevada's Ethics Enforcement

Standard of proof is a big issue in ethics enforcement, as it is in any enforcement. A year and a half ago, I wrote a blog post on the mishmash of standards of proof in local ethics codes and in the codes of states that have jurisdiction over local government ethics. In many codes there is no stated standard or a worthlessly ambiguous standard. In others, the standard is clear, but a serious obstacle to enforcement.

December 18, 2009

What Plaxico Burress Can Teach Us About Government Ethics

There are a lot of stupid reasons for opposing ethics reform initiatives, but an organization in Utah has pulled a Plaxico Burress with the stupidest of all.

The organization, Gun Owners of Utah, opposes Utah's ethics reform initiative because "it contains a de-facto gun registration clause."

Ethics Codes & Reform December 17, 2009

Clean Water and Clean Hands

What do clean water laws have to do with government ethics laws? According to an article in today's New York Times, there are three connections. One, the water in Scottsdale, AZ, where government ethics professionals just congregated for a conference, has high amounts of arsenic in it.

December 17, 2009

Good and Bad News from Three Cities

Good and Bad News from Memphis
The good news from Memphis is that newly-elected mayor A. C. Wharton, Jr. issued an ethics executive order last week (attached; see below). The order's provisions, which do not apply to council and its staff, are less valuable in their own right than as a prod to the council to improve the current ethics code.

December 16, 2009

Palm Beach County Ethics Program Has Passed

After many months of deliberation (and a blog post), yesterday the Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners passed three ordinances, establishing a new ethics and lobbying code, ethics commission, and inspector general.

Ethics Codes & Reform December 15, 2009

Revolving Door Provisions and Free Speech Rights

In August, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio granted a former state representative a temporary restraining order with respect to a state revolving door provision that prohibits state representatives from representing anyone other than a state political subdivision before the state legislature for one year after leaving office.

Transparency & Disclosure December 15, 2009

Jersey City Ethics Audit re Development Process

This summer, several New Jersey local government officials were arrested in a big FBI sting operation (see my blog post). Yesterday, an ethics audit focused on development practices was released. Requested by the Jersey City council, it was written by three members of a New Jersey law firm.

Ethics Codes & Reform December 14, 2009

Ethics Reform Aimed at Political Opponents

Ethics reform aimed at political opponents is a good way to undermine the whole idea of ethics reform. This is what is happening in San Jose.

Ethics Commissions & Administration December 12, 2009

San Diego: More Tension Between EC and Council

The relationship between San Diego's council and ethics commission continues to prove unhealthy. It shows how wrong it is for elected officials to appoint and control the body that oversees their conduct.

According to an article in today's Union-Tribune, a long-term EC investigation has led to an accusation that a council member did not report campaign expenses until eight months after they were incurred. That should be the central story, but it's not.

December 11, 2009

On Location: COGEL Meets in the Midst of Serious Unethical Behavior

COGEL (Council on Governmental Ethics Laws) annual conferences are often held at a time and place where there are serious government ethics issues. Last year, the conference was held in Chicago the day Gov. Blagojevich was arrested. This year, the conference was held in Maricopa County, AZ, where few days go by when there isn't a serious government ethics issue. Maricopa County has got to be the most dysfunctional county in the U.S.

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