<b>Update</b>: September 27, 2011<br>

It's fascinating how different issues are important to local government
officials in difference places at different times. I couldn't say that
officials will always dig in their heels and fight this ethics
provision, or that another ethics provision never raises an eyebrow.<br>
<br>
Take Broward County, FL, for example. After numerous arrests and
convictions of local officials, the county commission passed a new
ethics ordinace, and the county's citizens voted to have this ordinance

<b>Update: June 30, 2011</b> (see below)<br>
<br>
One thing you can say for James Bopp, Jr. (an attorney who has taken
many campaign finance cases to the Supreme Court for organizations that
oppose certain campaign finance regulations) is that he doesn't beat
around the bush. He's a straight shooter. The problem is the "shooter"
part. Shooting is not what people should do when it comes to ethics advice.<br>
<br>

It is important to take state laws into account when drafting ethics
provisions, especially in local governments that do not have home rule
charters. Here are two situations in the news where this was not done,
and ethics reform has been undermined. Dealing with the state laws from the beginning could have made the ethics codes, and the ethics reform process, far better.<br>
<br>

Just because it happens in New York City doesn't mean it will happen in
the average city or, especially, town. Right? No, it can happen, only the numbers will probably be smaller. Two situations
described in today's New York <i>Times,</i> both of them effectively centered on the hiring and failure to oversee consultants, are worth knowing about.<br>
<br>

It staggers the imagination how combative local government officials
can sometimes be with respect to ethics commissions. <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/self-interest-and-transparency-local-…; target="”_blank”">A
year ago, I wrote</a> about a former Sioux Falls (SD) council member,
Kermit Staggers, who attacked complaints filed by the city's ethics

<cite>This Editorial ran in June after the passing of a comprehensive
package of ethics reform bills in the Jacksonville City Coucil.</cite>
<h1>Ethics: This progress was historic</h1>
<b>Posted:</strong>June 19, 2011</b><br>
<p>Jacksonville residents have this self-image that we have a
progressive government. But consolidation was more than 40 years ago.</p>
<p>In creating a strong culture of ethics in city government,
Jacksonville has been left behind - until now.</p>

When an ethics commission and its staff are at odds, and the commission
is dealing with complaints against high-level officials, it is always
best for everyone when those officials had nothing to do with the
selection of the ethics commission's members or its staff. In other
words, you never fully appreciate an EC's independence, in terms of its
selection process, until things get ugly. Things got ugly in Georgia
this week. <br>
<br>

An ethics controversy involving the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has
led to the resignation of four of the seven members of the APS ethics
commission, a failure to replace them, and a threat to the schools'
accreditation status.<br>
<br>

According to the Wisconsin Supreme Court majority, a state legislature
does not have to follow ethics laws, even ethics laws expressly
designed to meet constitutional requirements. This shocking statement
comes from <a href="http://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.html?content=html&se…; target="”_blank”">the
opinion