One of the best descriptions of an unethical environment in a
government agency can be found in <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/opinion/LOGLISCI_FINAL.pdf&qu…; target="”_blank”">the
two-page statement that followed the guilty plea of David Loglisci</a>,
the former chief investment officer for the New York state pension fund.<br>
<br>

It's been four months since <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/694&quot; target="”_blank”">my latest update</a> on San
Bernardino County's failure to follow <a href="http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/grandjury/pdf/Report0809/20090701_gj…; target="”_blank”">grand

Unions are paid for by union members, business associations are paid
for by businesses, but local government associations are paid for by
taxpayers, not by local governments. And yet while unions represent
members, and business associations represent businesses, local government
associations represent local governments. This setup is asking for trouble.<br>
<br>

In <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/indirect-interests-and-freedom-speech…; target="”_blank”">my previous blog post</a>, the issue arose of voiding a planning and
zoning commission's approval of a permit because one of the commission
members had a conflict of interest. Connecticut law automatically
invalidates the

An unpublished Connecticut Superior Court
opinion takes an odd approach to a conflict of interest charge against
a member
of a zoning commission in the small town of Pomfret (pop. 4,000). Not
only is it odd, but it could very well be unconstitutional, as it
partly bases
its decision on whether individuals have spoken out for or against a
matter before the zoning commission. My thanks go to Patricia Salkin,
who

When a major newspaper's editorial on a city council's handling of an
important ethics issue begins with "Sneaky.
Real sneaky." it's something worth sharing with those interested in
local government ethics.<br>
<br>

<b>Update:</b> The bills discussed below passed the council on March 22.<br>
<br>
Just down the road from Philadelphia, Baltimore too is considering
ethics reforms, but it's in response to a scandal involving its past
mayor rather than in response to the work of a task force.<br>
<br>
There are two bills before the Baltimore council, both of them

Do <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_wall&quot; target="”_blank”">Chinese walls</a> (that is, mechanisms that separate someone from
information or involvement in a matter)
work in conflict situations in government? And what considerations determine whether they work or not?<br>
<br>
One consideration is whether, even with the Chinese wall, there is still an
appearance of a conflict. Another consideration is whether the

One of the biggest little problems in government ethics is the
inability to filter out very minor violations, which can be dealt with
either by dismissing the complaint or by requiring, say, an additional training
course. It is a waste of limited time and resources to investigate and hold hearings on minor
violations. An EC needs to be able to use its judgment to decide when a
violation is not worth investigating.<br>
<br>
Although it is hard to define what is a minor, or de minimis,

Last December, <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/ethics-reform-task-force-report-relea…; target="”_blank”">I
listed </a>the major recommendations of Philadelphia's Task Force on
Ethics and Campaign Finance