States and Municipal Ethics
A new Sunshine Law suit in Florida...
Robert Wechsler
From the Miami Herald blog: Newspapers, advocates sue the governor and Cabinet for sunshine violation The Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, the Associated Press, a Tampa lawyer and a coalition of sunshine advocates filed a lawsuit late Tuesday alleging that Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet violated the state's open meeting laws when the governor unilaterally decided to "force the resignation" of former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Chief Gerald Bailey and they consented.
A Government Ethics Approach to Open Records
Robert Wechsler
Luis Toro, the director of Colorado Ethics Watch, raised an
important local government ethics issue in a
recent Huffington Post post. It is a problem that is not
peculiar to Colorado. It is also a problem that could benefit from a government ethics approach.
The Powerlessness of the Powerful
Robert Wechsler
It's amazing how powerless powerful politicians can be. Take New Jersey
state senate president Stephen M. Sweeney. According to an
article in the Courier-Post, Sweeney is not only senate president,
but also director of his county's council (called the board of
freeholders), as well as regional director of a union.
Georgia Attempts to Require Local Ethics Enforcement
Robert Wechsler
Last month, the Georgia Senate unanimously passed a
bill requiring every local governing body (including school boards) to create an ethics panel to
hear complaints regarding at least members of the local governing body and, in counties, elected constitutional
officers.