City Related

This summer, several New Jersey local government officials were
arrested in a big FBI sting operation (see my <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/815&quot; target="”_blank”">blog post</a>). Yesterday, <a href="http://media.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/other/Jersey-City-Audit.pdf&…; target="”_blank”">an

Ethics reform aimed at political opponents is a good way to undermine the whole idea of ethics reform. This is what is happening in San Jose.<br>
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San Jose starts off with an odd ethics program. <a href="http://www.sanjoseca.gov/Clerk/commissionboard/Election/SJMCTitle12.pdf…; target="”_blank”">Title 12: Ethics Provisions</a> does not even have a conflict of

The relationship between San Diego's council and ethics commission
continues to prove unhealthy. It shows how wrong it is for elected
officials to appoint and control the body that oversees their conduct.<br>
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Yesterday, Philadelphia's Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance
Reform released a <a href="http://media.philly.com/documents/Task+Force+Report.pdf&quot; target="”_blank”">58-page
report</a> (plus ethics laws) requested by the city's mayor and council
president in 2008.<br>
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The report recommends a large number of reforms, most of them stricter

According to <a href="http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20091120/NEWS01/311200073/1006/SPORT…; target="”_blank”">an
article in <i>Town Talk</i></a>, an allegation against the mayor of Alexandria
(LA) of ignoring a conflict of interest has led to some all too typical
denial, squabbling, and inappropriate city attorney activity.<br>
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Ethics reform is difficult without a scandal. If your local government
doesn't have an ethics commission, it's hard to form one. If there's an
ethics commission without teeth, it's hard to even get dentures. And in
Denver, according to <a href="http://www.coloradoforethics.org/node/27787&quot; target="”_blank”">an article in the
Denver <i>Post</i></a>, it's hard to even get information about what happens

<a href="http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wethics22.44…; target="”_blank”">An
article in the Riverside (CA) <i>Press-Enterprise</i></a> this week raises two
interesting government ethics issues. One involves conflicts based on a
business-related desire to have good relations with the local
government. The other involves conflicts based on campaign

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<b>Outside Ethics Commission Members</b><br>
According to <a href="http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20091122/NEWS01/911220302/1002/New-p…; target="”_blank”">an
article in yesterday's Salisbury (MD) <i>Daily Times</i></a>, the mayor of
Snow Hill (pop. 2400) has decided to look outside his town for members of an ad hoc

The mayor of Baltimore is on trial for stealing $1,500 in gift cards,
allegedly intended for poor Baltimore residents. A <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bal-dixonletter…; target="”_blank”">letter
to the editor</a> of the Baltimore <i>Sun</i> proposes a better approach
than a trial costing hundreds of thousands of dollars:<br>
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In a recent <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/new-michigan-model-local-government-e…; target="”_blank”">blog
post</a> on the new Michigan Model Local Government Ethics Ordinance, I
noted in passing that the model wrongfully made divulging confidential
information a violation even when it benefits no one, and that this is not a government ethics issue.<br>
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