City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Ethics Codes & Reform September 17, 2008

Regular Review of Ethics Codes

In Arcata, California, according to an article in yesterday's Times-Standard, there is a policy to review the city's conflict of interest code every two years. This is extremely rare. Ethics codes are usually reviewed only when there is a scandal or when a mayor wants to add a feather to his or her…

September 16, 2008

Stadium Sweets

Is it a conflict of interest for local government officials to give themselves perks such as luxury boxes at sports stadiums, where they can not only entertain dignitaries in their government roles, which few would contest, but also their friends and contributors in their roles as person or candida…

September 16, 2008

What It Takes to Bring Down Government Leaders -- Thailand and Detroit

When U.S. presidents, or even mayors, are brought down by ethics violations, it takes some pretty hefty skullduggery and covering up to do it. But according to a Christian Science Monitor article this week, with the great title "As a TV chef, Thai P.M. cooked his own goose," Thailand's Constitution…

Local Government Practice September 15, 2008

An In-Depth Look at Unethical Leadership

It is rare for the news media to look at government ethics any more deeply than a particular scandal, usually one involving law-breaking, money, sex, or a public argument between parties or within a party. The vice-presidential nomination of Sarah Palin has led to the most in-depth look at governme…

Local Government Practice September 1, 2008

Local Governments' Fiduciary Duties to Bondholders

Local governments may only be accountable to their citizens, but they also have fiduciary duties to those who invest in their bonds. Many local governments don't act like they do, however." In Gretchen Morgenson's column in yesterday's New York Times, she cites a study by DPC Data, one of the four …

August 31, 2008

A Responsible Act of Non-Denial in San Diego, a Den of Denial

It's great to read newspaper commentary that shows an understanding of how an unethical organization acts, in this case, the effects of its employment of denial. Scott Lewis, voiceofsandiego.org's Executive Editor and political commentator, did this in a column this week. He was writing about what …

Conflicts of Interest August 30, 2008

The Revolving Door and the Appearance of Impropriety

It was exciting to see someone who made her reputation as a government ethics advocate named to the Republican ticket. But it was very troubling to read how she handled a recent revolving door matter. Also, what she did and said made me realize there is a hole in the City Ethics Model Code Project'…

August 29, 2008

Removal of Local Government Officials by the Governor - The Detroit Situation

It's tough to get rid of officials guilty of serious misconduct. Recall and impeachment are long, grueling processes, which are of no value late in an official's term. Rarely is removal from office for an ethics violation an option, and ethics investigations and hearings, including appeal to a cour…

August 28, 2008

An Ethical Sinkhole in Connecticut

What do sinkholes and poor drainage in a newly-built highway have to do with government ethics? Often, they are the result of incompetence. But they are also often the result of unethical conduct. That seems to be the cause in Connecticut's big highway mess that has slowly been unveiled over the la…

Conflicts of Interest August 27, 2008

The Perils of Valuable Expertise

According to a recent article in the Daily Sentinel, a Mesa County (CO) Commissioner says that he is running for re-election on his energy-industry experience (he is a principal of an energy services company that contracts with local oil and gas companies). Energy appears to be a principal industry…

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