City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

May 19, 2011

D.C.'s Draft Ethics Reform Act Merely Adds Pieces to a Confusing Puzzle

"The appropriate authority" is a vague phrase to base a major ethics reform proposal on, but that is just what the District of Columbia's draft Comprehensive Ethics Reform Act of 2011 does.

Introduced Tuesday by the council chair, this act is neither comprehensive nor does it create the accountability that the name of the new ethics office, the Office of Government Accountability, suggests.

May 18, 2011

New Chicago Mayor Emanuel's Ethics-Related Executive Orders

On December 6, according to an article on the Chicago Talks website, Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel promised that he would make many ethics reforms to “change the culture” of corruption and cronyism at City Hall.

Conflicts of Interest May 17, 2011

Dating, Marrying, and Gifts

Government ethics is dangerous to dating and weddings. That's the message of an article in Sunday's Palm Beach Post.

Conflicts of Interest May 15, 2011

Nepotism and Withdrawal

In March, I wrote a blog post about a nepotism situation in Valparaiso, IN. The city's ethics commission found that the hiring of the fire chief's son would be in violation of the ethics code, because the chief would be directly involved in personnel matters involving his son.

May 13, 2011

School Officials Participate in Sports Equipment Reconditioning Fraud

As a postscript to the Jersey Sting, on Wednesday, according to a Justice Department press release, the former CFO and CEO of a company that reconditioned and sold athletic equipment to schools and universities were in

Resources & Learning May 12, 2011

The Jersey Sting

Two months ago, a book was published called The Jersey Sting, by two Star-Ledger reporters, Ted Sherman and Josh Margolin.

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play May 11, 2011

Government Contractor Contributions and What To Do About Them

Last month, the Obama administration drafted an executive order that would require those seeking federal government contracts to disclose their political contributions, and those of their directors, officers, affiliates, and subsidiaries, made in the two years before they bid for a contract. This draft executive order has been the subject of a great and unusual controversy.

May 10, 2011

The Politicization of Montana's Political Practices Commissioner

According to an article in the Billings Gazette last week, the Montana Political Practices Commissioner will have to step down from her position, because her nomination by the governor was not approved by the state legislature. Her office, which handles ethics, campaign finance, and lobbying matters, has jurisdiction over local elected officials.

Local Government Practice May 9, 2011

Legislative Immunity, Local Government Attorneys, and Bell, California

Going by the reaction of the news media and the Pulitzer committee, the most serious government ethics scandal of 2010 occurred in Bell, California, where the city's top officials were paying themselves huge salaries, taking advantage of an uneducated, uninvolved citizenry.

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play May 5, 2011

The Latest on Placement Agents

It's been a year since I last wrote about placement agents, so it's time for an update, based on an article put up yesterday on the Forbes Magazine site, designated for the May 23 issue.

Subscribe to