City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Conflicts of Interest February 7, 2009

Personal, Non-Financial Interests

One of my pet peeves is that many if not most local government ethics codes limit the definition of "conflict of interest" to situations where an official's interest involves money. But there are many personal interests that create a conflict, even though no money is involved. I learned this severa…

Ethics Codes & Reform February 7, 2009

Leadership and Obstacles to Ethics Reform

I recommend an essay by Donald Menzel from the October issue of PM, the magazine of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA), entitled "Strengthening Ethical Governance in Local Governments." Menzel is a former president of the American Society for Public Administration, author o…

Conflicts of Interest February 5, 2009

Resignation Due to a Conflict of Interest

When is a conflict sufficient to require an official to resign (or not take a position in the first place)? This question involves a lot of gray area, and little black and white. What sorts of interest are enough to undermine public trust, and what sorts of interest provide opportunities for offici…

Ethics Commissions & Administration February 4, 2009

The Art of Making People Skittish

Move over, presidents, movie stars, and models. Welcome a local government ethics officer to your ranks. Yes, at last a local government ethics officer's picture is on the cover of a magazine. The ethics officer is City Ethics' own Carla Miller, and the magazine is Northeast Florida's Folio Weekly.…

Resources & Learning February 3, 2009

Ethics Training - Leadership and Responsibility

Ethics training is a problem at the local level. It's expensive, and there aren't many experienced local government ethics trainers around. Online ethics training has recently become the answer, but even this is difficult to get people to do. As I wrote a couple of years ago in a blog entry and a c…

Local Government Practice February 2, 2009

The Personal Side of Ethics

So much of government ethics involves the contrast, and sometimes the collision, between ethics and law. Too often the personal aspect of government ethics is overlooked. All three get twisted together in a very simple matter that occurred last week in the Escondido (CA) city council, according to …

Ethics Codes & Reform January 31, 2009

Who Is Covered by an Ethics Code's Provisions

Sometimes, those who write or amend local government ethics codes forget to make it clear exactly who is covered by an ethics code. Sometimes there is discussion about who should have to file annual disclosure statements, and sometimes there is discussion about whether volunteers should be covered.…

Ethics Commissions & Administration January 30, 2009

Rationalization and Initiative in the Ethics Sphere

When it really comes down to it (and it usually does), what is the greatest enemy of trust in government, or anywhere else for that matter? Greed, power, ego, loyalty? I'd put my money on (or against) rationalization, the ability of people to justify what they do and fail to do. Here's what got me …

Transparency & Disclosure January 29, 2009

The Conflicts Behind Government Opacity

It's hard not to get excited about our new president when he says and does the right things when it comes to government ethics. In a memo to heads of executive departments and agencies, President Obama wrote: The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the fac…

Conflicts of Interest January 28, 2009

Gifts to Local Governments - Two Very Different Examples

Gifts to local governments have become an issue recently in Sacramento, CA and Richland Hills, TX. I wrote about various aspects of this issue over two years ago. It's time to raise it with respect to concrete examples. Basically, gifts to local governments by businesses and individuals with a busi…

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