City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Conflicts of Interest August 12, 2009

Professional Confidentiality and the Disclosure of Conflicts

John Hazlehurst's observation on the Colorado Springs ethics commission's dismissal of a complaint against the mayor is valuable enough to deserve a separate blog post, rather than a mere update to my original post on this topic.

Ethics Codes & Reform August 11, 2009

An Anti-Ethics Reform Rant Worth Reading

People frequently belittle government ethics reforms as meaningless window dressing intended to make politicians look like they're being ethical, something I have said myself in certain contexts. Yet it is worth reading an extreme view of this, which oddly comes from a journalist writing a blog that takes "an evangelical Christian viewpoint."

August 11, 2009

More Chicago Creativity

Chicago politicians are endlessly creative. A few weeks ago I wrote about an alderman on the zoning committee who pushed for zoning changes to help developers who used his wife as their realtor. It turns out that his boss, William J. P. Banks, head of the zoning committee, is going to have a retirement party.

Conflicts of Interest August 10, 2009

Hiring Experts and Giving Ethics Waivers: The Henry Paulson, Jr. Story

Again, a very public federal conflict of interest matter provides valuable material relevant to local government ethics. This time it's former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr.'s relationship with the firm he formerly headed, Goldman Sachs, the subject of a front-page story in Sunday's New York Times.

Experts in Government

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.

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.

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.

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's council members are now available online.

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 commission, the following reforms:

1. Putting the ethics code back into the city charter

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.

Subscribe to