City Related | City Ethics

Ethics Commissions & Administration September 8, 2009

The Independence of New Orleans' Ethics Program

The New Orleans Ethics Review Board, formed in 2006, certainly wins an A for independence. According to the city ethics code, six of its seven members are chosen by the mayor (with council approval) from nominees submitted by the heads of five local private universities (the seventh is the mayor's …

September 5, 2009

An Ethics Challenge and a Unusual Approach to Pay-to-Play

Some news in Greensboro, NC led me to a blog post on old news in Greenburgh, NY, so here's the new news and the old news about two cities with nearly the same name. In Greensboro, NC, a council candidate has thrown down a challenge to fill out and post online the state financial disclosure form. It…

September 1, 2009

Public Works Misconduct in Tulsa and Montreal

Two former public works employees are in the news this week for misconduct. According to an article in the Tulsa World, a former Tulsa field engineering officer who sat on the Professional Consulting Services Selection Committee pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy, mail fraud conspiracy, and procu…

Local Government Practice August 31, 2009

Council Fiefdoms and Unethical Behavior

If you want to encourage unethical behavior, give individual officials independent power over the sorts of decisions where people have the greatest incentive to tempt officials, and officials are in the best position to enforce pay-to-play. I described a good example of this in a recent blog post a…

Conflicts of Interest August 31, 2009

An Interesting Three-Headed Potential Conflict

Here's an interesting potential conflict. Chicago's Civic Federation, a "non-partisan government research organization working to maximize the quality and cost-effectiveness of government services in the Chicago region and State of Illinois," is asked by the city council to evaluate the city's 2016…

August 28, 2009

EC Member Conflicts, Anonymous Complaints, and the Relocation of an Airport

Here's a mind-twister of a situation, from St. Marys City (GA; pop 17,000). According to an article on jacksonville.com, four members of the city council wrote the state attorney general asking for a ruling on whether a fifth council member violated state law by refusing to disqualify himself from …

Conflicts of Interest August 27, 2009

Gifts: Prohibition, Disclosure, or Both?

One of the most contentious topics in local government ethics is prohibition vs. disclosure of gifts to officials. As with so many government ethics issues, the best answer is both, but reaching the best answer requires a thinking outside the box, along with a sincere interest in ending pay-to-play…

Transparency & Disclosure August 25, 2009

The Positive Effects of Applicant Disclosure, and How to Enforce It

Applicant disclosure is an effective part of local government ethics that is usually ignored. Usually it is officials who are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest, either in the form of annual disclosure statements, revised when circumstances change, or in the form of announcements …

Local Government Practice August 24, 2009

Playing Games with Local Government Ethics

Explaining a political decision on the basis of government ethics, when that really isn't the reason, can lead to government ethics reform made on the basis of politics. That's what appears to have happened in Boerne (TX), a small "city" of 6,000 residents outside San Antonio. According to an artic…

Conflicts of Interest August 22, 2009

Chicago Alderman Expense Allowances: Conflicts Between Public, Political, and Personal Interests

"I believe that an alderman's office is a political office," said Chicago alderman Suarez, one of 50 aldermen to get their expense allowances doubled last year, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. Suarez, however, refused to use city funds to pay for his ward office, because "it's hard …

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