City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

September 16, 2011

Interesting Ethics Issues in Santa Fe

A lot of interesting issues have arisen with respect to Santa Fe's Ethics and Campaign Review Board. A Majority of Lawyers on an Ethics Board First, a new selection process was created, and the ethics board members were replaced some time between the July and August meetings. Instead of having coun…

Ethics Commissions & Administration September 15, 2011

Another Argument for More Ethics Commission Authority

Three months ago, I wrote about an ethics commission decision asking for the removal of a Louisville council member, and the start of proceedings in the council to do just that. I noted that the council member's reaction was pure denial and attack on the ethics commission. According to an editorial…

September 14, 2011

Another Elected Official Misses the Chance to Teach the Country About Government Ethics

Once again, an elected official in the national eye took an opportunity to teach the public about government ethics and used it solely to distort government ethics and defend himself. The official is Texas Governor Rick Perry who, according to an article in yesterday's New York Daily News, was accu…

Ethics Codes & Reform September 14, 2011

Federal Gift Prohibition Applies to Most Local Governments

I came across a decision in Patty Salkin's Law of the Land blog today involving a federal statute that allows federal prosecution of those who give gifts to local officials in amounts greater than $5,000. Proof of bribery is not necessary, but evidence needs to be shown that the gift was given "wit…

Conflicts of Interest September 11, 2011

The Appropriateness of Business and Union Gifts to Government

It is a given (although not a fact) that everyone wants to make it as easy as possible to vote. Voting is the principal way most people participate in a democracy, and choosing our local officials is the way we determine the direction and quality of management of our community. In most countries, v…

Transparency & Disclosure September 6, 2011

Making the Private Misconduct of Public Servants Public

The situation where New York City's mayor misrepresented the reason for the resignation of one of his deputy mayors in order to protect his privacy regarding a domestic dispute raises some interesting issues about transparency, favoritism, and the extent to which the private should be made public. …

Enforcement & Complaints September 3, 2011

D.C. Legislative Immunity in a Case Alleging Retaliation Against a Whistleblower

Did you know that the District of Columbia has its own Speech or Debate Clause? I learned this from reading the Motion for a Protective Order on Behalf of Mayor Vincent C. Gray filed on Thursday in the case of Payne v. District of Columbia. Gray, a former council president, is seeking to be protect…

Conflicts of Interest August 29, 2011

Making Use of Expertise

Let's say you're a professional who wants to give something back to your community by serving on a city board or commission. You open up the newspaper and read that your mayor is saying, "It is not the five of us commissioners who make the city great. It's the citizens who are passionate about it, …

Resources & Learning August 23, 2011

Habits of the Heart III: The Obligations of Professionals in Local Government (Summer Reading)

The participation of professionals in local government has become problematic, according to the authors of Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. Professional standards used to be ethics-oriented, but they have become predominately technical. "Being good becomes a matte…

Resources & Learning August 23, 2011

Habits of the Heart II: Civic Membership and the Common Good (Summer Reading)

Trust in government is a requirement for participation in government, what the authors of Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life refer to as "civic membership." This is strongest at the local level, where we are most likely to get involved in person rather than through p…

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