Stamford Antagonists Reach a Settlement!

Good news from Stamford. According to <a href="http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Board-of-Finance-chairman…; target="”_blank”">an
article in yesterday's Stamford <i>Advocate</i></a> and <a href="http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Kolenberg-to-lead-finan…; target="”_blank”">another
article that just appeared online two hours ago</a>, the board of
ethics reached a settlement with the chair of the board of finance, in
which they agreed to withdraw all ethics complaints and the federal
suit filed by the finance chair. In addition, the finance chair
announced his resignation as of Wednesday, the day the finance board
was to vote on an ethics board request for funds to pay for counsel in
its ethics proceedings. The only part I'm not crazy about is the city's
payment of $45,000 for the finance chair's legal fees, especially since far more was done than necessary,
especially the filing of the federal suit.<br>
<br>

I said in <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/not-withdrawing-responsible-way-deal-…; target="”_blank”">a
recent blog post</a> that "the ethics board should also consider how
best this case can be settled, because this messy case is fueling
enmities and undermining
trust in the government." With the proceedings running up all sorts of bills and bitterness, and
allegations that were not clearly under the ethics board's
jurisdiction, a settlement like this was the best thing that could have
happened. Praise is due to those who put the settlement together.<br>
<br>
For a look at the good and bad of the finance chair, who had served on
the board for thirty years and taken a combative approach throughout,
see <a href="http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Divisive-and-dedicated-…; target="”_blank”">the
<i>Advocate</i> editorial</a> that went online a half hour ago.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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