County Related | City Ethics

May 2, 2014

Orange County, NY Grand Jury Ethics Reform Recommendations

Another day, another grand jury report recommending government ethics reform. This report (attached; see below) comes from Orange County, NY, a county northwest of New York City, whose biggest town is Newburgh and whose most famous towns include the very different Tuxedo and Kiryas Joel.

April 25, 2014

Broward County (FL) Ethics Reform Talk: Gifts and Advice

According to an article this week in the Sun-Sentinel, the Broward County, FL commission is discussing changes to the countywide ethics program, focusing on gifts and ethics advice.

Gift Bans

Ethics Commissions & Administration April 15, 2014

Municipal Attorneys Should Stay Out of Ethics Proceedings

When a city or county attorney's office does not represent the ethics commission, should that office play any role in an ethics proceeding? I don't believe it should.

Ethics Commissions & Administration April 14, 2014

Local or State Jurisdiction Over Local Legislators?

Is local government ethics enforcement appropriate for local legislators? This question is currently being asked in Sarasota County, FL and Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS. A key to whether this is the right question is who is asking the question. In both cases, it is local legislators who have been respondents in ethics enforcement proceedings, and some of their legislative colleagues.

March 27, 2014

County Attorney Defends Anti-Transparency Rule in Ethics Program

In most cities and counties throughout the United States, the city or county attorney is in charge of the government ethics program. I have written a great deal about why this is not a best practice, but city and county attorneys still keep providing further reasons. Here's one from Tioga County, NY.

Transparency & Disclosure March 26, 2014

The Need to Disclose a Grantee's Name, and a Problem with Public-Private Development Partnerships

Here's another story involving the lack of transparency. This time, the lack of transparency involves a company getting government grants.

March 19, 2014

A Misguided Attempt to Provide More Due Process in FL

The story of state legislative interference with local government ethics programs in Florida continues with a newly amended bill in the state senate (SB 1474 is attached; see below), sponsored by senator Joe Abruzzo, whose antagonism to the Palm Beach County ethics program has been the subject of three City Ethics blog posts in the past year (audit of the Palm Beach County program,

March 5, 2014

The Good and Bad of Palm Beach County's EC Selection Process

The independent selection of EC members is a great thing for making a government ethics program appear independent of those under its jurisdiction and for ensuring that an ethics commission remains fully stocked with members. But how this selection process is actually accomplished matters, too.

Ethics Commissions & Administration March 3, 2014

Arguments Against Centralized Ethics Advice Argue for It

A month ago, I wrote a blog post about the Broward County (FL) inspector general's recommendations for ethics reform. A principal recommendation was to require all local officials, who are under the county ethics program's jurisdiction, to seek ethics advice from an ethics officer rather than from their city attorneys.

February 24, 2014

Discussing Ethics Reform Behind Closed Doors in Luzerne County, PA

According to an editorial yesterday in the Luzerne County (PA) Citizens Voice, the Luzerne County council, on advice of the county attorney, is planning to hold an executive session tomorrow to discuss changes to its ethics code. The editorial says it would be wrong to hold an executive session.

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