City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

August 9, 2006

San Diego: A Great Case Study in Conflicts of Interest

Reading the newspapers, you might not realize that behind all the fraud, non-disclosure, and "reckless mismanagement" that former S.E.C. Chair Arthur Levitt found in San Diego's pension and wastewater systems were serious conflicts of interest.

Conflicts of Interest August 2, 2006

When Municipal Governments Depend on Businesses

There are municipal ethics issues that will never find their way into any ethics code, but which should certainly be covered in ethics training courses. Many of these issues involve the relationship between government and businesses. If there were no money to be made in and through municipal government, there would be far less need for ethics programs. Power does corrupt, but it's no accident that corruption so often involves relations with developers and contractors.

Ethics Codes & Reform July 31, 2006

The Importance of Being Readable

One of the most serious problems with municipal ethics codes is their unreadability. Few of those who write them seem to consider the capabilities of the code's audience: municipal officials and employees without a legal education. In 1998, the Securities and Exchange Commission insisted that documents intended to disclose information to the public should be written in plain English, and to help with the process, it put together a Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents (www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf).

July 10, 2006

A City Where "We Don't Want Nobody Nobody Sent"

Patronage is the most basic of all municipal conflicts of interest. It involves not only self-interest (my job), but also a variety of organizational interests (my agency, party, ethnic or racial group, friends). In every little patronage decision, all of these interests take precedence over the public interest. And yet patronage is also the most commonly practiced, and accepted, of all municipal conflicts of interest. Nowhere has patronage been practiced and accepted more than in Chicago.

Local Government Practice July 6, 2006

Apologies: Central to a City's Ethical Environment

As canaries were to mines, apologies are to a municipality's ethical environment. If you don't see a good number of sincere apologies, then ethics and accountability are probably dead in your town.

July 4, 2006

Jacksonville Daily Record Interview - Carla Miller

From: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=45455
July 4, 2006
Miller's ethics advice travels well

by Bradley Parsons, Staff Writer

As an ethical adviser to politicians, Carla Miller never has to worry about staying busy.

June 27, 2006

Setback for Municipal Campaign Finance Reform

Yesterday's Supreme Court decision in Randall v. Sorrell is a setback for municipal efforts at campaign finance reform (CFR).

Resources & Learning June 26, 2006

Boot camp for city officials teaches 'a culture of ethics'

from the June 26, 2006 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0626/p02s01-usgn.html At a seminar in California, municipal leaders learn how to stay on the straight and narrow in times of temptation.

By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.

June 24, 2006

DENVER, CO

The Rocky Mountains west of Denver help people navigate the city by serving as a directional reference.

Brief History of Denver in Politics

Denver entered the political arena fairly quickly to its founding in 1858, and incorporation in 1861.

June 24, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

As the official name implies, the City and County San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, being simultaneously a charter city and charter county with a consolidated government, a status it has had since 1856. It is the only such consolidation in California and the only California county with a mayor who is also the county executive.

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