<h4>“There’s a case out there; I myself cannot speak about the case.
However, I would ask the community, each and every one of you, to
keep me in your prayer.”</h4><br>

Appearances are very important in government ethics. A situation
that has arisen with respect to a proposed state audit of the Palm
Beach County ethics commission has created serious appearance
problems.<br>
<br>

<h4>“We have a system that only catches morons.”</h4><br>

Yes, another New York state legislator has been arrested on bribery
charges. That's scarcely news. According to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/nyregion/assemblyman-eric-stevenson-i…; target="”_blank”">an
article in today's New York <i>Times</i></a>, he was helping developers
get permits to open adult day care centers in his district. In other

We often hear elected officials saying, "I can't be bought at any
price." The assumption behind this statement is that there is no
amount of money, no job offer, nothing that will make the elected
official act or vote any way than the way he otherwise intends to
act or vote, that he cannot be influenced.<br>
<br>
In a discussion forum I follow, journalist
Ben Adler pointed out that there might actually be different prices
for different acts. Sometimes elected officials accept gifts or

Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New
York, said yesterday, in reference to a sting operation that led to
the arrest of several elected officials in New York City and the
village of Spring Valley, NY, “A show-me-the-money culture seems to
pervade every level of government.” However, that's not really the moral of the story.<br>
<br>

More and more each year, the City Ethics website has been the go-to
place for local government ethics information. First a blog, then a
Model Ethics Code, and then a huge resource book. Thousands of pages of
useful information. What more could anyone ask for?<br>
<br>
How about clearing away some of the debris? In other words, a short
introduction to local government ethics. An explanation of what it
is and what it isn't. A summary of the basic concepts. A description

Government ethics is a process issue. Process issues appeal more to,
and are better understood by, lawyers. Although corruption may be
seen as a substance issue, the ways to prevent it are considered
procedural. So at election time, most candidates choose not to talk
about ethics reform, at least in any detail. When they raise the
issue, it is usually to portray themselves as clean and ethical, and
sometimes to portray others as corrupt.<br>
<br>
This process-substance distinction is rarely made, at least

<h4>“In Albany, they’re really, really good at coming up with something
that looks like reform, and that they tout as reform, but really
falls short.”</h4><br>

I don't get it. Such a big deal has been made out of the Bell, CA
officials paying themselves big bucks. This was considered the big
local government ethics story of the last few years. The Los Angeles
<i>Times</i> won a Pulitizer Prize for uncovering it.<br>
<br>
Yes, what happened in Bell was appalling. But <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal&quot; target="”_blank”">what