As I mentioned in a
recent blog post, the Broward County (FL; home of Ft. Lauderdale)
commissioners are seeking to have an ethics code (enforced by an
inspector general; it's being drafted) apply to county employees, as
well. For some reason, this not only must go to referendum, but must
also be approved by a majority each of state senators and
representatives whose constituency touches on Broward County...
Political activity by local government employees can be a sign of misuse of office. And when election problems arise, they generally involve local
government employees, as has happened in Essex County (NJ; home of
Newark), according to an
article in Friday's Star-Ledger.
The principal problem with political activity involves patronage, the...
Many complex conflicts of interest involve the spouses and other close family
members of local government officials, as can be seen in Broward County
(FL, home of Ft. Lauderdale) according to an
article in the Sun-Sentinel.
Worth taking a look at is the work of California Watch in disclosing
the use of county party committees to launder campaign contributions
far over the legal limits.
The nonpartisan good government organization presents the data in three
different forms:
Who expects a wonderful local government ethics surprise to come from
New Jersey? Check out the Department of State's Pay-to-Play
Ordinances page, which provides links, county by county, of
municipal ordinances placing a limited contribution ban on those
entering into municipal contracts.
Two weeks ago, I
welcomed the new Palm Beach County ethics codes. What I didn't
realize is how much of the county's government isn't covered by the
codes, including other elected officials (and their offices) such as the sheriff, the School Board, the tax collector, the county clerk, the
property appraiser, and the supervisor of...