Regular Review of Ethics Codes

In Arcata, California, according to an article in yesterday's Times-Standard, there is a policy to review the city's conflict of interest code every two years. This is extremely rare. Ethics codes are usually reviewed only when there is a scandal or when a mayor wants to add a feather to his or her hat.

A regular review of an ethics code is a good way to focus on ethics issues. This is helpful to officials and employees, as well as to the public. If it is handled correctly, it can be as good as, or even better than, a training course, because views on the code and on ethical problems in the government will appear in the news media and become a subject of discussion inside and outside of government. The result, over time, may be a deeper understanding of conflicts of interest and more trust in government,