City Related

A <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/227&quot; target="”_blank”">judicial opinion</a> is
apparently not enough to put an end to local government officials using the excuse that
the local government attorney told them participation in a matter is legal. Nor is the fact that the official's decision whether to participate is not solely a legal decision, but
rather a judgment based partially on the language of an ethics code and

<b>Ethics Reform Usually Means Ethics Changes</b><br>
While most people in Massachusetts are cheering on the ethics reform
package that was just passed, at least one state representative has focused
on the compromises and limitations of the package, calling it a first
step. Most responses to scandals are partial rather than changing the entire environment,

It is common for mayors and council members to take volunteer positions
on the boards of community nonprofits. Sometimes it's primarily
honorific, but sometimes it shows a special commitment to a particular
program or project, and sometimes it involves a leadership position.
Such a position can create real or apparent conflicts of interest.<br>
<br>

It's not easy to publicize ethical and unethical activity in a
responsible manner. And when this is done, it can sometimes lead to
false attacks on the the legitimacy of the organization doing the
publicizing. This is what happened this week in Colorado.<br>
<br>

<span>The Politicization of
Officials Selecting Ethics Commission Members</span><br>
People should not be political footballs, and ethics commission members
even moreso. But that's what can happen when officials are allowed to
select ethics commission members. According to <a href="http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=2009…; target="”_blank”">an

In her comment to <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/774&quot; target="”_blank”">my blog
post</a> on a Michigan recusal matter, Catherine Mullhaupt of the
Michigan Townships Association not only pointed out the effect of a
women's property rights act on local government conflict of interest
law (see <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/782&quot; target="”_blank”">my blog post on

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission has published its report on
the infamous Seattle snow scandal of last winter. There were numerous
accusations that the mayor and other top officials had asked for and
been given preferential treatment for their neighborhood when an unusual snowstorm hit Seattle.<br>
<br>
Preferential treatment is one of the thorniest of all ethics issues, as

How does a council deal with conflicts in a company town? My first
response to this would be, are there still company towns? Well,
certainly not as many as there used to be, but probably most of the
ones that remain are college towns.<br>
<br>

Community outreach is usually toward the bottom of a local government
ethics commission's priority list.<br>
<br>
Googling one thing or another, I came across <a href="http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/public_ethics/31ItemG.pdf&quot; target="”_blank”">this
memo</a> from the executive director of the Oakland Public Ethics
Commission, which includes an invitation to members of the press,

Yesterday, the Seattle City Council passed <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/council/clark/attachments/2009_ethics_code_ord.p…; target="”_blank”">amendments</a>
to the city's <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/et_code.htm&quot; target="”_blank”">ethics
code</a>, based on recommendations from the city's ethics commission,