City EthicsBreaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"
New Jersey Governor Starts the Ball Rolling Toward Local Government Ethics Reform
According to an
editorial in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Gov.
City Related
Conflicts of Interest
October 11, 2008
The Use of Subordinates as Means and Benefitting a Personal Interest
According to an
article in today's New York Times and in yesterday's
Huffington Post, the investigator charged by Alaska's Legislative
Committee, before Sarah Palin was even being considered as a vice
presidential candidate, found in a report
that, among other things, Gov.
Ethics Codes & Reform
October 9, 2008
It Is Honorable for Government to Help People Act More Honorably
The New York Times has an excellent article
today on Alan Greenspan in relation to the current
financial crisis. It provides food for thought about government regulation at
any level.
Essentially, Greenspan believes that the cause of the crisis is Wall Street decisionmakers not acting honorably. However, the decision to regulate, like the decision to pass ethics codes, is to guide people to act more honorably and penalize those who do not.
Essentially, Greenspan believes that the cause of the crisis is Wall Street decisionmakers not acting honorably. However, the decision to regulate, like the decision to pass ethics codes, is to guide people to act more honorably and penalize those who do not.
October 6, 2008
Term Limits in Time of Crisis -- Staying in Power vs. Upholding the Law
Updated Oct. 10, 2008; see final three paragraphs
New York City is in a crisis. But its mayor and 2/3 of its City Council will have to leave office due to term limits imposed by referendum in the 1990s.
New York City is in a crisis. But its mayor and 2/3 of its City Council will have to leave office due to term limits imposed by referendum in the 1990s.
Conflicts of Interest
October 1, 2008
Why "When Does an Interest Become an Interest?" Is Not the Right Question
When does an interest become an interest? When an official starts
thinking about entering into a contract? When she starts negotiating
the contract? When she agrees on the details? When she actually signs
the contract? Or is this not really the question to focus on?
According to an article in the Aspen (CO) Daily News, this issue arose recently on the Aspen City Council.
According to an article in the Aspen (CO) Daily News, this issue arose recently on the Aspen City Council.
Conflicts of Interest
September 30, 2008
When Conflicts Can Help a Town Save Money -- And How to Handle Them
Sometimes a conflict of interest can help a community save money. An
official with a relationship to a company might be able to negotiate a
better deal for his town, as long as his company gets the business and
the credit. But is this legitimate, and even if it is, how should it be
handled?
Conflicts of Interest
September 28, 2008
Ethics Laws and Difficult Family Predicaments
Sometimes it's very difficult for a government official to deal with a
conflict of interest involving a member of his or her immediate family.
The common approach to ethics is to assume that an official will favor
a family member, but sometimes an ethics law can take an official out
of the uncomfortable position of having to reject a family member. And
sometimes the situation with a family member can have elements of both.
September 28, 2008
Setting the Record Straight in Missouri
A troubling KMOV
television news report from Missouri (yes, another story from
Missouri) has caught fire on right-leaning blogs. A self-styled Obama
Truth Squad has been formed in Missouri, consisting of city and county
prosecutors and sheriffs, who intend to set the record straight in
response to advertisements that falsely characterize Sen. Obama and his
policies. Examples include his religion and his tax cut proposal.
Resources & Learning
September 27, 2008
Logical Fallacies V - Accusations of Hypocrisy or Inconsistency
A year and a half ago, I started
a series of blog entries on logical fallacies and their use in
municipal politics. Logical fallacies are pseudo-arguments that
consciously or unconsciously attempt to falsely persuade or manipulate
people. They treat people as means rather than as ends, manipulating
their thoughts, their feelings, their prejudices, their loyalties for
the speaker's ends.
Ethics Codes & Reform
September 25, 2008
Government Ethics and the Clash Between Rules-Based and Ends-Based Ethical Approaches
The most serious obstacle to the acceptance of conflict of interest
programs in government is the clash between government ethics' use of a
rules-based (deontological) ethical approach, and government officials'
use of an ends-based (teleological) ethical approach.