City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Resources & Learning February 24, 2008

The Top Municipal Ethics Film of All Time

I just watched the film Hands Over the City, and I believe it should hop up to the top of City Ethics’ list of Top Ten Ethics Films. Hands Over the City is a dramatic film that is about municipal government ethics, and nothing else. A film whose central fact is a glaring conflict of interest. Click…

Conflicts of Interest February 23, 2008

Can a Postage Stamp Be a Bribe?

When we talk about gifts to politicians, we often talk about gifts of nominal value being okay. Buy a politician a coffee, what’s wrong with that? But what happens when it’s the other way around? What if the politician buys a coffee for a citizen? One citizen, no problem. A few more at a fundraiser…

February 19, 2008

Google backs off when big money sidles by...

Recently, Google has taken what appears to be a distinctly less transparent and open approach to their news distribution search engine. Matthew Lee maintains a small blog/website called https://www.innercitypress.com/ and has a reputation for hounding the UN - specifically the UNDP about what he co…

February 14, 2008

Congress Makes a Pitch for Poor Ethics

Congressmen and -women sometimes act as if they didn't know the first thing about government ethics. Even when their actions are more in the public eye than usual, many of them unnecessarily, and selfishly, do the wrong thing. This week, Congress seems to be all about Roger Clemens, who is definite…

February 9, 2008

Detroit's Mayor Kilpatrick Piles His Unethical Behavior Skyscraper High

Detroit’s mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick is the new poster boy for misuse of office, lack of transparency, and covering up unethical behavior. According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, it all began with an extramarital affair with his chief of staff, which he denied time and again (including on…

February 8, 2008

Pollsters and Transparency

An op-ed piece by Pollster.com editor Mark Blumenthal, in yesterday’s New York Times, brought up an interesting point about the transparency of political polls. I would like to take his piece a step further. Blumenthal feels that political polls provide too little background information, such as wh…

Ethics Codes & Reform February 7, 2008

Ethics Code Waiver Provisions and Unforeseen Consequences

An Alaskan state representative needs a new kidney. The new state ethics law does not allow gifts over $250. It has a compassionate gift exemption, but it only allows compassionate gifts with a fair market value less than $250. This is one of many unforeseen consequences that comes from ethics code…

Conflicts of Interest February 6, 2008

Dealing Openly and Responsibly with a Conflict of Interest

You hear it again and again: “I didn’t know. I wasn’t told.” It’s the ultimate defense. Rarely do you hear, “I didn’t know, but I should have. It’s my responsibility to know and make sure I’m told things like this. I will act as if I knew, because I should have known.” There’s nothing wrong with a …

Ethics Codes & Reform February 5, 2008

Muncie, Indiana, and the Applicability of the ASPA Code of Ethics for a City Council:

According to an article in the Muncie (IN) Star Press, the Muncie City Council voted 5-4 not to adopt the American Society for Public Administration’s ethics code, something that hundreds of citizens at the meeting favored. Apparently, the one non-Council member who spoke out against voting for the…

Conflicts of Interest February 4, 2008

A Controversial Indianapolis Board Appointment: Perception and the Dilemma Between Competence and Conflicts of Interest

The new mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard, who ran as a candidate who would bring ethics to city government, is already embroiled in a controversial ethics issue. He has appointed Robert T. Grand as chair of the Capital Improvement Board (CIB), which manages the city’s convention center and sport…

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