City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Conflicts of Interest August 2, 2009

When a Conflict Requires Not Withdrawal, But Ending a Controversy

Update below (August 10, 2009): When an official has a conflict of interest, the usual course is to withdraw from any discussion or vote on the matter. But this is not always the case. Sometimes a conflict of interest requires that a responsible official speak up. Such a situation has occurred in H…

August 1, 2009

The Results of Jefferson County's Unethical Behavior

It's rare to see the clear results of unethical behavior in local government. Sadly, exceptionally clear results can be seen in a front-page article in today's New York Times. Jefferson County, Alabama, the home of Birmingham, had a serious scandal involving sewer repairs and bonds, which I wrote a…

Resources & Learning August 1, 2009

Ethical Decision-Making

A chapter in Jonah Lehrer's new book, How We Decide, sheds some interesting light on ethical decision-making. The book shares the latest discoveries neuroscientists have made using hightech views of the brain at work, especially when it is making various sorts of decisions. The chapter called "The …

Transparency & Disclosure July 31, 2009

Putting Financial Disclosure Information Online

Thanks to Texas Watchdog, "an independent, nonpartisan entity [that] serves as a government watchdog and training center where reporters, bloggers and activists of any stripe learn how to uncover waste, fraud and corruption in state and local governments," the financial disclosure forms of Houston'…

July 31, 2009

Jacksonville Ethics Commission Takes the Lead in Ethics Reform

In Jacksonville-- where City Ethics' founder, Carla Miller, is the Ethics Officer -- the ethics commission is taking the lead in ethics reform, according to an article in the Jacksonville Daily Record. The EC legislative subcommittee is recommending, for presentation to the charter revision commiss…

July 30, 2009

An Ethics Reform Miscellany

It may be midsummer, but it's still a busy season for local government ethics. Here's how a few local governments are dealing with ethics reform. Palm Beach County commissioners agreed to create an inspector general and ethics commission, according to an article in the Palm Beach Post. The commissi…

Ethics Commissions & Administration July 28, 2009

The EC Appointment Process: Watchdog or Lapdog?

Update below The only thing worse than stacking ethics commissions with politically active, and apparently loyal, members is refusing to renew the term of a member who has been a vocal advocate of government ethics, in other words, a thorn in the side of officials who do not follow the local govern…

Conflicts of Interest July 27, 2009

Robert's Rules Has a Conflict of Interest Rule for Local Governments with No Conflict Provisions

The great majority of local governments that think they have no state or local law or rules regarding local officials' conflicts of interest do actually have a conflict of interest rule. This rule is hidden in Robert's Rules, which is usually the set of rules under which local government bodies ope…

July 24, 2009

A Miscellany

Open Records Requests and Ethics Proceedings In an unusual twist on the confidentiality of ethics proceedings, counsel for the Colorado Springs mayor's former client, the person who gave rise to the mayor's apparent conflict of interest, has made an open records request for all documents related to…

July 23, 2009

Government Corruption Arrests in NJ: Abuse of Nonprofits, Conduit Contributions, and A Network of Crooked Officials

A few local government ethics issues come together in the story behind the arrest today of 44 people in a political corruption and international money laundering ring based in New Jersey. The story is best told, so far, in the press release of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Among…

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