The book I've been working on for what seems like ages is finally available! With the exciting title Local Government Ethics Programs, this is the first comprehensive resource book on the subject. The subtitle subtly hints at the audience for this book:  A Resource for Ethics Commission Members, Et…

The Chicago Ethics Reform Task Force report was published yesterday. Well, at least Part 1 was published. As I said in my blog post about the announcement of the task force's creation, "four months, including the holiday season, is a short time for four people and their likely inexperienced lawyers…

Today, the New York Times ran a length investigatory report on Walmart's extensive bribery of local Mexican officials intended to rush through permits and zoning approvals, reduce environmental impact fees, and gain the allegiance of these officials. The Independence of Investigators The report rai…

For the second time in a year, a local ethics commission has been the subject of a grand jury report. The first was San Francisco's (see my blog post). There, it was a civil grand jury and the focus was on the commission. Here and now, it is a criminal grand jury, and the focus is on the county exe…