City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Ethics Codes & Reform November 19, 2012

Second Round of Chicago Ethics Reforms III - Independence and Confidentiality

Ethics program independence is, as far as I'm concerned, the single most important issue in ethics reform. Nothing gains the public's trust as much as an ethics program that is independent from the officials over whom it has jurisdiction.

Ethics Codes & Reform November 19, 2012

Second Round of Chicago Ethics Reforms II - Bad Ideas

My second blog post on the Chicago ethics task force's second report identified what I considered to be its worst ideas. Mayor Emanuel's recommendations accepted its bad ideas just as much as its good ideas.

Ethics Codes & Reform November 19, 2012

Second Round of Chicago Ethics Reforms I - Good Ideas

The second round of Chicago ethics reform recommendations, based on the ethics task force's second report (attached; see below), have been proposed by Chicago's mayor Rahm Emanuel (click here to read a summary of the mayor's recommendations).

Transparency & Disclosure November 16, 2012

How and Why to Bring Budget Transparency to a City Near You

It's a nice coincidence that, just when I was preparing to write a blog post about a trendy thing in the corporate world called "open-book management," the former comptroller of Dixon, IL, Rita Crundwell, pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge that she siphoned more than $53 million from the town of only 16,000 people (over a period of 21 years), according to an article in the Chicago Tribune.

November 14, 2012

The Way to Deal with Baltimore's Ethics Director's Conflict Situation

After Common Cause questioned the fitness of Baltimore's government ethics director for his job, an opinion piece called for him to be fired, and a Sun article appeared under the he

Conflicts of Interest November 14, 2012

Government Ethics Professionals Also Respond Personally to Conflict Allegations

News from British Columbia provides strong evidence of how difficult it is for anyone to deal with his own conflict situation, even a government ethics professional. No one should think that it is easy for someone to see an appearance of impropriety relating to himself or to respond to a conflict allegation against him in anything but a personal manner. A government ethics program must facilitate the process of dealing responsibly with a conflict situation by allowing, or even requiring, officials to seek neutral, professional advice.

Transparency & Disclosure November 13, 2012

The Value of Applicant Disclosure

A situation that arose recently in Atlanta shows how important it is to require applicant disclosure of relationships with local government officials, and to hold applicants accountable. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta's ethics office dismissed allegations that a council member had sponsored and voted on a no-bid contract when he had some sort of employment relationship with the contractor.

Conflicts of Interest November 12, 2012

What Makes a Conflict Problematic

A conflict situation in Albuquerque presents an excellent opportunity to consider just what it is about conflicts that makes them problematic. According to an article in the Albuquerque Journal on Saturday, the chair of Albuquerque's Police Oversight Commission also directs the auxiliary of the local branch of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and her husband is president of the state FOP.

Local Government Practice November 10, 2012

The Problems with Bipartisan Local Election Administration

It's been a few years since I wrote about the problems with the partisan, or "bipartisan," administration of local elections. One thing that arisen from this year's election is a strong feeling that it is high time that New York City's Board of Elections be reformed. Hopefully, this process will get a great deal of publicity, and become a guide for other communities.

Enforcement & Complaints November 9, 2012

Problems with the "Throw the Bums Out" Approach

The headline of a New York Times article today is, "Ethics in Play, Voters Oust Incumbents Under Inquiry." One's first impression upon reading the article is that people are throwing unethical politicians out of office. The system is working. But upon further thought, it doesn't seem to be working very well at all.

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