City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Enforcement & Complaints June 2, 2008

The Enforcement of Ethics Laws Against Local Government Legislators

The decision of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal in In re Arnold (May 23, 2008) causes serious problems with respect to ethics enforcement against local government legislators, at least in Louisiana. It opens up a can of worms that I haven't seen discussed (I'd appreciate being alerted t…

May 31, 2008

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act Upheld in Its Application to Local Governments

The Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One doesn't like having to get approval from the federal government for changes in its voting policy, in order to prevent racial discrimination; it says that everything's fine and dandy in Northwest Austin. The requirement can be found in Secti…

Local Government Practice May 29, 2008

Local Government Officials' Obligations with Respect to Federal Laws

The land deals of Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar, CA) could provide fodder for numerous blog entries on various topics. I wrote about him and ethics recidivism, to show how important it is to deal with a local politician's unethical actions so that they don't turn into much bigger ones as h…

May 28, 2008

Back to Eastern Oregon, Where Local Government Is Working Again ... Transparently

Six weeks after my blog entry on the mass resignations in Eastern Oregon towns due to new financial disclosure requirements, the predictions of government coming to an end (still being fanned to flames by Fox News) have turned out to be highly exaggerated. Click here to read the rest of this blog e…

Resources & Learning May 27, 2008

Book Review: Emil "Bud" Krogh, Integrity

It took a long time for Egil "Bud" Krogh to write his book on Watergate, but it finally came out a few months ago. Krogh is not one of the better known Watergaters, partly because he pleaded guilty to his crimes. But as the head of the Plumbers, in charge of investigating leaks to the press, he ove…

Conflicts of Interest May 26, 2008

The Ethics of Taxing Nonprofits' Property

One of the most frustrating problems many cities and counties face is all that untaxable land owned by nonprofit organizations. Some states, such as my state, Connecticut, pay local governments part of what they lose out in property taxes, but when things are hard, as now, and the taxes are most so…

Ethics Codes & Reform May 25, 2008

City-Funded Redevelopment by Nearby Property Owners -- And How Not to Write Ethics Law

An article in today's Modesto Bee provides an excellent example of problems that arise when a city's redevelopment is accomplished by people who can benefit directly from it. The five-person Riverbank, California Council has three members who own property downtown, which is going through a redevelo…

Enforcement & Complaints May 22, 2008

Providing Counsel for Officials in Ethics Proceedings

When should governments provide counsel for officials who have had an ethics complaint brought against them? This has become a big issue recently in my state, Connecticut. Click here to read the rest of this blog entry. In March, a lawyer for the Office of State Ethics proposed a legal opinion that…

Local Government Practice May 20, 2008

Apology - The Canary in the Mine of Local Government Organizations

This Sunday New York Times' front-page feature on how doctors are recognizing the value (ethical and financial) of apologizing provides a good opportunity to bring up again what I consider to be one of the most important topics in local government ethics. I wrote about apology in local government i…

May 16, 2008

The Statistical Projections Game - The Cards Go Out on the Table

Actuary Jonathan Schwartz has received no funds from City Ethics. But it may seem like that from how perfectly today's front-page New York Times article follows up on the blog entry I posted yesterday. In yesterday's blog entry, I argued that governments and public sector unions do not have the sam…

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