Over-reaction to an Alleged Conflict
Over-reaction to an alleged ethics violation can be as bad as
under-reaction.
Local Government Practice
October 9, 2010
Learning and Forming a Local Government's Unethical Environment
I chose to specialize in local government ethics because this is where
it all starts. This is where the individuals who become our
representatives experience their first unethical environment, become
team players, learn the rules of the game, and begin to feel a special
entitlement.
One good thing about election time is that we sometimes get the back stories of individuals running for higher office. We get to see how they started. One such individual is Carl Paladino, a candidate for governor of New York State.
A Local Developer Regulating Local Development
One good thing about election time is that we sometimes get the back stories of individuals running for higher office. We get to see how they started. One such individual is Carl Paladino, a candidate for governor of New York State.
A Local Developer Regulating Local Development
October 8, 2010
Should a District Attorney Be Counsel to a Council?
The
Dallas Morning News on Wednesday ran a fascinating article about
Dallas County's district attorney. It caught my interest because he was
accused of a conflict of interest, but accusing this district attorney
of a conflict of interest is like accusing King Kong of being big.
The Dallas County DA is the county's chief law enforcement officer. He also represents the Commissioners' Court (the county council) in civil matters.
The Dallas County DA is the county's chief law enforcement officer. He also represents the Commissioners' Court (the county council) in civil matters.
Conflicts of Interest
October 7, 2010
Moonlighting for a Vendor and Donations of Sick Time from Subordinates
There's a lot to learn from the chief of New Orleans' emergency medical
service's past conflicts of interest, which have only recently become
public. Despite the compassion one must feel for the official, the
conflicts were poorly handled by her and by the former mayor and his administration.
Enforcement & Complaints
October 6, 2010
Stamford Official's Attempt to Prevent Government Employees from Filing Ethics Complaints Is Nipped in the Bud
There's a new twist to the ethics mess in Stamford, which I described in a blog post last week.
Conflicts of Interest
October 5, 2010
Does Recusal Require Action and/or Words?
Note: This blog post was posted on September 22, and I accidentally deleted it. This is a reposting.
What is recusal? More to the point, does the act of recusal require merely inaction, or action, or action and words? This has become an issue in the city of Santa Fe, but it is important to establish a definition for the purpose of government ethics.
What is recusal? More to the point, does the act of recusal require merely inaction, or action, or action and words? This has become an issue in the city of Santa Fe, but it is important to establish a definition for the purpose of government ethics.
Enforcement & Complaints
October 5, 2010
A Local Legislative Body's Duty to Investigate When Legislative Activities Are Involved
Conflicts of Interest
October 5, 2010
Confusion of Person and Office
In the Indiana Secretary of State race, the headlines are all about
voter
fraud. But the bigger problem, I think, involves the failure of one of
the candidates to differentiate himself from his seat on the Fishers
city council.
October 4, 2010
A Proposed Ethics Code for Memphis Falls Short
Three years ago, I
featured Memphis in a blog post, noting that, in the last six
years,
66 government officials, employees, and contractors had been found guilty of
various sorts of government-related crimes. Last year, I noted that the city's
mayor had resigned under a cloud of accusations.
Enforcement & Complaints
October 1, 2010
Rules Disallowing Complaints Before Elections
Many jurisdictions have a rule that disallows the filing of an ethics
complaint against an elected official within so many days before an
election. The purpose of such a rule is to prevent the abuse of the
ethics process for political purposes. But is this the best
solution to this problem?