City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Ethics Codes & Reform May 24, 2009

The Effects of an Inadequate Ethics Code

There are many perils of an inadequate local government ethics code, as can be seen in Colorado Springs, which passed an ethics code in 2007. Last week, I wrote a blog entry about the new ethics commission's first complaint.

May 22, 2009

An Undisciplined Nevada Supreme Court Legislative Immunity Decision

To those who read my recent blog entry, it will come as no surprise that, yesterday, the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the District Court's ruling in the Nevada legislative immunity case (the Order of Affirmation, in searchable form, is attached to this blog entry below).

Conflicts of Interest May 21, 2009

Detroit and the Loyalties of Local Government Attorneys

Loyalty is a virtue that is out of place in government, because loyalty is a personal virtue, a virtue that involves one's own personal interest and that of the person one is loyal to.

Loyalty is a particularly difficult issue for local government attorneys, because loyalty is essentially the principal virtue for attorneys. Attorneys' conflicts of interest involve interests that get in the way of complete loyalty to a client.

Transparency & Disclosure May 18, 2009

Applicant Disclosure, and the Difference It Makes

The two best defenses against dealing responsibly with a conflict are that the local government attorney told me it was okay, and I didn't know there was a conflict. The first can be dealt with by getting the local government attorney out of the government ethics picture. But the second requires something few local government ethics codes require: applicant disclosure.

May 16, 2009

Ethics Idol

It's not easy to make ethics training enjoyable, so it's good to see how other people have tried. According to an article in Human Resource Executive, Cisco Systems came up with a parody of American Idol, with parody songs about ethics situations and three judges critically discussing each song/situation.

May 15, 2009

An Ethics Complaint to Bring Some Transparency to a Deal

Updates below (latest on August 11, 2009)

Ethics Commissions & Administration May 14, 2009

Rhode Island Oral Arguments: On Inherent Conflicts in the Ethics Process

Yesterday, the Rhode Island Supreme Court held oral arguments on the appeal of the RI legislative immunity decision.

May 14, 2009

An Ethics Emergency in Corpus Christi?

Update below

Ethics Commissions & Administration May 14, 2009

Ethics Commissions: Independence and Managing Staff

See Update Below
The accusations made by New York's Inspector General that the executive director of New York's Commission on Public Integrity leaked information about an investigation to a close associate of the target of the investigation (the governor) are very upsetting. But there are two important lessons to be learned here.

May 13, 2009

Clear Evidence of How Dealing Irresponsibly with a Conflict Can Undermine the Public Trust

One great thing about the Internet is that it provides a clear picture of how people respond to officials who do not deal responsibly with their conflicts of interest, and how such irresponsible actions can undermine people's trust in government.

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