City Related | City Ethics

July 24, 2012

A Miscellany

Gift Bans In Sunday's Marietta (GA) Daily Journal, former state representative Roger Hines wrote a column with the title "What Does Corruptibility Have to Do with a Dollar Figure?" Hines considered the state's $100 limit on gifts from lobbyists. After talking about the value of lobbyists, he talked…

Ethics Commissions & Administration July 23, 2012

An EC Member Who Sues Her City Government

I've written recently about the propriety of the new chair of D.C.'s ethics commission practicing in matters that involve the city government. In that case, there was an appearance, based on the chair's own website, that he was seeking benefits for his clients from the council and certain city agen…

July 19, 2012

Trenton's Ethics Environment in a Timeline

According to an article in the Times of Trenton yesterday, the FBI raided the homes of Trenton's mayor, as well as the homes of his brother and a major campaign contributor. For those interested in government ethics, the best thing about the raid is the timeline that went up on the Times of Trenton…

July 16, 2012

An Example of Backsliding

It is common for councils to engage in backsliding shortly after creating or improving a government ethics program. When there has been a scandal, councils often go further than they would like to go in establishing ethics rules and procedures. When attention to ethics matters has lessened, it ofte…

July 12, 2012

Knowledge, Fear of Retaliation, and Ethics Commission Selection Issues in D.C.

According to an article in yesterday's Washington Post, new allegations have been made of a "shadow campaign" by which the District of Columbia's largest contractor (in contract dollars) supported the current mayor's 2010 campaign to the tune of about 650,000 unreported dollars. The money was alleg…

July 9, 2012

An Interesting Agency Independence from Ethics Enforcement Issue in Broward County

I've written about the issue of ethics commission jurisdiction over independent agencies and authorities, which arose in recent years in such places as Jacksonville, Louisville, and Palm Beach and Broward counties in Florida. The issue has arisen again in Broward County, in a different and interest…

Ethics Commissions & Administration June 29, 2012

Dealing with the Potential Conflicts Involved in EC Board Member Selection

There is a great deal to be learned from the selection process for the new District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, which is effectively complete. Three weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about the nomination of Robert Spagnoletti to be chair of the new ethics board. I questi…

Conflicts of Interest June 23, 2012

Withdrawal, Secrecy, and Misuse of Confidential Information Issues in an Economic Incentive Matter

Providing incentives to attract companies or get them to expand their operations in a city or county has always been a controversial issue. Incentives are seen as necessary to attract, keep, or expand jobs locally, but they can also be an unnecessary way to get local governments into bidding wars (…

June 21, 2012

Ethics Reports and Efforts in New Orleans

New Orleans must have the largest number of civic organizations that focus on government ethics, and the greatest amount of activity among them. There is the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a watchdog group that has filed ethics complaints (see my two blog posts that mention them: 1 2 ). There is …

Local Government Practice June 15, 2012

Doing What Isn't Required

Possibly the most important single thing in government ethics is the recognition that just because something isn't required, it doesn't mean you can't do it, and that just because something is not expressly prohibited, it doesn't mean you can do it. This is an expanded version of what I've often ta…

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