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 face of doubt,
openness prevails.
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.
Personal Fundraising by Elected Officials
Here's a more interesting story out of Massachusetts, this one from the
state Senate. Former state senator Dianne Wilkerson admits having
accepted up to $70,000 from friends and supporters in what is being called personal fundraising, that is, raising money to pay off personal debts. She says that the gifts were approved by the state
ethics commission and by lawyers.
Massachusetts House Speaker To Resign
Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi will be resigning his house seat
tomorrow, according to an
article in today's Boston Globe.
DiMasi is currently being investigated by the Massachusetts Ethics
Commission, and he has raised a defense of legislative
immunity against its re
NY Senator Bruno's Indictment Shows Us Once Again That Ethics Self-Enforcement Doesn't Work
Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has been indicted
by a federal grand jury, but his biggest crime was not taking millions
of dollars in so-called consulting fees. His biggest crime was standing
in the way of any meaningful ethics reform in New York State.
How to Unsettle a Settlement Agreement
What happens if an ethics commission enters into a settlement agreement
in which an official admits to certain conduct in violation of the
jurisdiction's ethics code, and then the official goes out into the
world and says he did nothing wrong, but felt it was best for everyone
to pay the fine and move on?
Obama's First-Day Executive Orders on Ethics and Transparency. Mayors Take Note.
It's an excellent way to start an administration, with two executive
orders on government ethics and transparency. It sends an important
message to governments at all levels that even in the midst of economic
crisis and war, ethics is a number one priority.
Updates re Rhode Island and Oregon - Legislative Immunity and Annual Disclosure
Rhode Island - Legislative Immunity
City Attorney Investigates Memphis Mayor for Possible Ethics Violation
As I wrote in a blog entry nearly two years ago, Memphis has broken
records in terms of convicted public officials. But its mayor of
seventeen years, Willie Herenton, has stood above it all. At least
until now.
A Criminal Failure
I hate to harp so often on the problem of ethics matters being handled
by criminal authorities, but when I read an
article in the Nogales (AZ) International
that begins as follows, I get angry.
-
While there was “ample evidence of
incompetence,” it took more than two years for Nils Urman, former Santa
Cruz County Commerce and Economic Development Director, to be cleared of
criminal wrongdoing by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the
state auditor gen