A Miscellany
<b>Incompatible Political Offices</b><br>
According to <a href="http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/5453073-74/macey-county-council#axzz…; target="”_blank”">an
article this week on the TribLive website</a>, an ethics complaint
was filed against an Allegheny County, PA council member for working
as a constituent services representative for a state senator whose
district partially overlaps the council member's. The county ethics code
prohibits council members from being employed on the personal staff
of any local, state or federal elected official.<br>
<br>
This sort of incompatible offices rule can be controversial, and it
is being strongly opposed by the council member, who wants it
changed. But this is just the sort of situation such rules are good
for. When the council member deals with a constituent matter, is he
doing it for the county or state government? Which hat is he
wearing? Also, considering that his time is limited, will he put (or
will it appear he is putting) his employer's constituents (most
of whom live outside his council district) ahead of his own
constituents? And how will anyone know?<br>
<br>
The council member says it doesn't matter, as long he is helping
people. But the state senator's chief of staff provides another
reason for this rule. According to the article, he said that the
council member's position gives him access the senator deems
valuable. If this access were given to a non-governmental entity, it
would clearly be inappropriate. It is different for a government,
but was the hiring of the council member done for the good of the government or more
for the re-election of the state senator?<br>
<br>
<b>The Importance of the Power to Subpoena</b><br>
According to <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20140122/NEWS01/301220095/Senate…; target="”_blank”">a
<i>Courier-Journal</i> article yesterday</a>, the Kentucky Senate's
Standing Committee on State and Local Government unanimously passed
a bill that would allow local ethics commissions in
Louisville and Lexington (why not anywhere in the state?) to “issue administrative subpoenas for the
attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of
documents relevant to possible violations of the code of ethics.”
Louisville's Metro Council had asked that its ethics commission be
given this power after two of its investigations were hampered by lacking
the power to subpoena.<br>
<br>
<b>An Experiment Put Off</b><br>
According to <a href="http://journaltimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/proposed-ethics-ag…; target="”_blank”">an
article yesterday in the <i>Journal Times</i></a>, the Racine, WI
council's Committee of the Whole effectively, and unanimously,
tabled a proposal to set up an ethics commission hearing exchange
with Kenosha. This occurred after Kenosha's ethics commission was inundated with
complaints. Racine's city attorney referred to what was going on in
Kenosha as "a circular firing squad." So much for an interesting
experiment in ethics administration. For more on this experiment,
see <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/current-ethics-reform-iii-prince-geor…; target="”_blank”">my
earlier blog post</a>.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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