City Related

Local governments often give special recognition to individuals and
organizations. It's part of promoting the good works that are being
done in the community. But it is also, of course, a form of
preferential treatment. For every individual and organization that
is recognized for good works, there are many others that are not
recognized.<br>
<br>
If each high-level official could provide his own special
recognition to individuals and organizations in the community, then

One of the most damaging kinds of preferential treatment is one that
is hard to pin on any one individual:  public works work done
for some, but not for others, or done for some before being done for
others. Whether or not this is done in any particular city or
county, people talk about it, speculating that it is done, talking
about things they've seen and heard. It's an important part of the
perception that local government is run for those in government and

An ethics bill in the District of Columbia, sponsored by council
member Muriel Bowser, went quickly through committee and was passed
by the council, with only one dissenting vote, on December 20 (<a href="http://www.dccouncil.us/files/user_uploads/event_testimony/ethics_final…; target="”_blank”">the

The creation of an ethics task force is a popular way for local
government leaders to pursue ethics reform. It provides the
appearance of community involvement and independence, and it means
that reform ideas are not something to be imposed by a mayor on
council members and other officials, which can cause a great deal of
resentment.<br>
<br>
Atlanta's Mayor Franklin chose this route in 2002, as did
Philadelphia's Mayor Nutter in 2008. One difference is that Franklin

According to <a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/134479448_Gary_Martin_files_an_ethics_c…; target="”_blank”">an
article in Parsippany (NJ) <i>Life</i></a>, a Parsippany school board
member filed an ethics complaint against himself with the state's

Here's the situation. There is a state ethics program that applies
to local governments, and an ethics issue relating to a local law
arises. There is no local ethics commission to enforce the local
law, so what happens?<br>
<br>
This is the situation in Cincinnati. The issue involves a charter
provision that prohibits city funds from being disbursed for the
purpose of a political campaign. This is usually an ethics matter
(misuse of city property), but since there is no ethics commission

The situation of Rose Pak, a power broker for San Francisco's Chinese-American
community who was featured a week ago in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/us/rose-pak-a-chinatown-power-broker-…; target="”_blank”">a
New York <i>Times</i> article</a>, raises some interesting
questions. A paid consultant to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, she

Yet another brief has been filed in the <i>Carrigan v. Commission on
Ethics of the State of Nevada</i> case, this time <a href="http://caseinfo.nvsupremecourt.us/document/view.do?csNameID=19690&csIID…; target="”_blank”">the EC's supplemental brief on remand to the Nevada Supreme Court</a>.<br>
<br>

What can be done when a public agency that gives gifts to public officials
destroys its gift records?<br>
<br>
This question arises from <a href="http://www.ajc.com/news/north-fulton/records-erased-after-council-11863…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the Atlanta <i>Journal-Constitution</i> last week</a> about
the Alpharetta (GA) Convention and Visitors Bureau, an independent

Another serious problem posed by making a legislative immunity defense in the local
government ethics context can be seen from reading <a href="http://boardofreps.org/committees/legrules/2011/items/lr28033/lr28033_s…; target="”_blank”">the recommendation of the investigating panel of the Stamford (CT) board of ethics.</a> In the section that provides reasons for dismissal of a complaint brought against a