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Report on Annual Reports I
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
Robert Wechsler
Annual reports are, among other things, one of the most important, and
overlooked, enforcement mechanisms. At the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws
(COGEL) conference last week in Chicago, the executive director of
the Philadelphia Board of
Ethics, Shane Creamer, presented the board's first campaign finance
compliance
report, which details each campaign finance enforcement matter it
dealt with in its first election cycle. Not only does this show
everyone what an ethics board does, but it shows everyone who failed to
follow the rules, who was cooperative in rectifying problems and who
was not. Reports also provide lots of information to the city or county's officials and employees, as well as to other local
governments looking to set up or improve their ethics programs.
Every city does it different.
In fact, Philadelphia itself prepared a different sort of annual report for 2007, a 55-pager that details election, training, advice, and enforcement activities, as well as including legislative developments and recommendations, the board's first set of regulations, a summary of advisory opinions and advice of counsel, and a history of the board and a look into the future. It's a great resource to see how a city ethics board gets up and running.
King County (WA) puts out an annual financial disclosure report, which not only provides statistics and recommendations, but also a non-compliance roster, complete with names and positions. Good idea.
Atlanta's Ethics Officer puts up on her website an annual Roll of Delinquent Filers, as well as lists of non-filers and even a list of timely filers (44 pages long). Yes, people who follow the rules should be recognized, too. It's not all about enforcement.
Atlanta's Ethics Officer also puts up a succinct Highlights by the Numbers, with the stats, and biannual work plans and reports on prior work plans. There's even a report on the new hot line, called the Integrity Line (anything to get past the playground concept of tattling).
Jacksonville's most recent annual report, written by City Ethics' very own Carla Miller, takes an interesting approach. It lists activities and accomplishments under each paragraph of the ethics code's Mission and Duties of the Ethics Officer provision.
Denver's annual report includes the usual statistics and summaries, but also includes detailed summaries of its advisory opinions and decisions, 18 pages in all for the 2007 report. This is very helpful for Denver officials and employees, as well as for other cities.
Massachusetts' state ethics commission has jurisdiction over state and local officials and employees. Its annual report contains loads of statistics, with some breakdown among state, county, and municipal officials. But what are especially valuable are its annual summaries of all advisory opinions, disposition (that is, settlement) agreements, and decisions; the most recent report is 84 pages long. And if you want to see the most recent summaries of opinions et al, you can go to the press releases page. And you can even have the summaries sent to you via e-mail as they come out; just click at the top of the press releases page and give them your e-mail address. Continuing government ethics education doesn't come any cheaper or easier.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
---
Every city does it different.
In fact, Philadelphia itself prepared a different sort of annual report for 2007, a 55-pager that details election, training, advice, and enforcement activities, as well as including legislative developments and recommendations, the board's first set of regulations, a summary of advisory opinions and advice of counsel, and a history of the board and a look into the future. It's a great resource to see how a city ethics board gets up and running.
King County (WA) puts out an annual financial disclosure report, which not only provides statistics and recommendations, but also a non-compliance roster, complete with names and positions. Good idea.
Atlanta's Ethics Officer puts up on her website an annual Roll of Delinquent Filers, as well as lists of non-filers and even a list of timely filers (44 pages long). Yes, people who follow the rules should be recognized, too. It's not all about enforcement.
Atlanta's Ethics Officer also puts up a succinct Highlights by the Numbers, with the stats, and biannual work plans and reports on prior work plans. There's even a report on the new hot line, called the Integrity Line (anything to get past the playground concept of tattling).
Jacksonville's most recent annual report, written by City Ethics' very own Carla Miller, takes an interesting approach. It lists activities and accomplishments under each paragraph of the ethics code's Mission and Duties of the Ethics Officer provision.
Denver's annual report includes the usual statistics and summaries, but also includes detailed summaries of its advisory opinions and decisions, 18 pages in all for the 2007 report. This is very helpful for Denver officials and employees, as well as for other cities.
Massachusetts' state ethics commission has jurisdiction over state and local officials and employees. Its annual report contains loads of statistics, with some breakdown among state, county, and municipal officials. But what are especially valuable are its annual summaries of all advisory opinions, disposition (that is, settlement) agreements, and decisions; the most recent report is 84 pages long. And if you want to see the most recent summaries of opinions et al, you can go to the press releases page. And you can even have the summaries sent to you via e-mail as they come out; just click at the top of the press releases page and give them your e-mail address. Continuing government ethics education doesn't come any cheaper or easier.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
---
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