County Related

Ethics Commissions & Administration August 9, 2010

The Tough Way to Revive a Moribund Ethics Commission

What do you do when an ethics commission is moribund? Sadly, few people know and few people care. That is the norm. Rarely does an official complain publicly, "I have no one to give me good ethics advice." She just goes to the city or county attorney, or makes the decision herself. Rarely does anyone complain that there is no ethics training or nowhere to file an ethics complaint. And certainly no official complains that he doesn't have to file a financial disclosure form anymore.

August 6, 2010

Yet Another Underhanded Attempt to Water Down the Broward County Ethics Commission's New Ethics Code

Update: August 9, 2010 (see below)

You've got to hand it to them: Broward County (FL) commissioners don't give up. Some of them have fought and fought against the prospect of having a new ethics code, written by the county ethics commission. August 10 is the deadline by which they must either approve the new ethics code, or it will appear on the November ballot.

Enforcement & Complaints August 4, 2010

Intimidation — The Worst Offense in Government Ethics

Updates: August 4 and 9, 2010 (see below)
I was just saying to someone the other day that the worst offenses in local government ethics do not involve money. The worst offenses in local government ethics involve intimidation, which causes people to lose their peace of mind, their reputations, and the feeling that they may participate in their local government, things no amount of money can buy. And yet it is the rare ethics complaint or arrest that primarily involves intimidation. Well, this just happened yesterday, in Palm Beach County.

Conflicts of Interest July 15, 2010

Not Dealing Responsibly with Conflicts Can Lead to Litigation and Overturning of Board Action

A failure to deal responsibly with one's conflicts of interest has ramifications beyond the loss of public trust, and all the serious problems that arise from this loss. This failure can also lead to litigation and the overturning of actions by local government officials.

Ethics Codes & Reform July 11, 2010

The Tough Way to Revive a Moribund Ethics Commission

Yet Another Underhanded Attempt to Water Down the Broward County Ethics Commission's New Ethics Code

Intimidation — The Worst Offense in Government Ethics

Not Dealing Responsibly with Conflicts Can Lead to Litigation and Overturning of Board Action

Poor Draftmanship and Poor Ethics

Lots of Wrongs, Little Right

Palm Beach County Update

Harassment and Intimidation by Government Officials — Another Visit to Maricopa County

The Broward County Commission Should Not Be Challenging the Constitutionality of a Lobbying Provision

A Cook County Ethics Reform Proposal