City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

June 20, 2009

Selling Advertising on Local Government Websites

Over the last two days, a new-fangled local government ethics controversy has taken Ohio by storm: allowing counties to sell advertising on their websites. A law to that effect has been inserted in the pending state budget bill, according to an Associated Press article.

The rationale is simple: county governments need money and, if ads are okay for buses and bus stops, why not for websites?

June 20, 2009

Oklahoma Ethics Commission Changes Its Confidentiality Rule

According to an Associated Press article yesterday, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission recommended a rule change that would get rid of the gag rule on people who file ethics complaints. The cause of the rule change is two suits filed against the EC, challenging the gag rule. The suits were filed on freedom of speech grounds.

Conflicts of Interest June 19, 2009

Michigan Women's Rights Statute and an Official's Personal Interests

Rarely does someone make a comment to one of my blog posts that brings such a fresh look at a standard conflict of interest issue as the one made recently by Catherine Mullhaupt, Esq., Director of Member Information Services at the Michigan Townships Association.

June 19, 2009

Report on Preferential Treatment Accusations Regarding Seattle Mayor

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission has published its report on the infamous Seattle snow scandal of last winter. There were numerous accusations that the mayor and other top officials had asked for and been given preferential treatment for their neighborhood when an unusual snowstorm hit Seattle.

Conflicts of Interest June 18, 2009

Dealing Responsibly with Conflicts in College Towns

How does a council deal with conflicts in a company town? My first response to this would be, are there still company towns? Well, certainly not as many as there used to be, but probably most of the ones that remain are college towns.

Resources & Learning June 18, 2009

Albert Hirschman on Conflicts Between the Private and the Public

I recently read a fascinating classic study by Albert O. Hirschman (Institute of Advanced Study) called Shifting Involvements: Private Interest and Public Action (1982). This book focuses on the various tensions between private consumption and public action. It only touches on government ethics issues, but what Hirschman says is worth sharing. For example:

Ethics Commissions & Administration June 17, 2009

Ethics Commission Community Outreach

Community outreach is usually toward the bottom of a local government ethics commission's priority list.

June 16, 2009

Ethics Reform in Seattle

Yesterday, the Seattle City Council passed amendments to the city's ethics code, based on recommendations from the city's ethics commission, according to an article in the West Seattle

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play June 15, 2009

Lobbying and Large Local Government Contracts

One of the biggest problems with local government lobbyists is that they invariably have close contacts with those who run the city or county. So whenever they are involved in a matter, especially the bidding of large contracts, there is a strong appearance of impropriety, and people don't trust the bidding process.

Enforcement & Complaints June 12, 2009

Sometimes the Accuser Is More Unethical Than the Accused

"Investigators, like prosecutors, must understand that the desire to go after big game to garner big headlines may be as unethical as the offenses they are pursuing."

This is the central point of a formal statement made by the new chair of the New York State Commission on Public Integrity concerning the report of the Inspector General on the former executive director of the the commission and the commission itself.

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