Model Code

When there is a time period in an ethics code investigation or hearing
provision, there is always the question:  What happens if some
event does not take place within the designated time period? Does that
mean that the complaint is automatically dismissed?<br>
<br>
This issue arises due to a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court (an

Another interesting ethics matter is raised in <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/san-jose-neighborhoods/ci_16650954?nclick_ch…; target="”_blank”">the
article on the school board member</a> in Santa Clara County (CA),

Prof. Patricia Salkin, director of the<a href="http://www.albanylaw.edu/sub.php?navigation_id=668&quot; target="”_blank”"> Government
Law Center</a> at Albany
Law School and author of the <a href="http://lawoftheland.wordpress.com&quot; target="”_blank”">Law of the Land blog</a>, has

<b>Update:</b> October 15, 2010 (see below)<br>
<br>
Decision-makers are given too much credit. Most individuals who vote on
government matters are non-professionals who are paid little or
nothing, and who rarely focus on the matters before their body. They
are, therefore, very dependent on staff members who are professionally
trained and who are paid to focus on the matters before the body.<br>
<br>

<b>Update:</b> September 6, 2010 (see below)<br>
<br>
For many local government employees, gratuities are the principal way
in which an ethics code affects them, because many ethics code prohibit
gratuities. But are they really a government ethics issue? In other
words, does a government employee, say a sanitation worker, have a
conflict or create an appearance of impropriety by accepting a tip from
a citizen for whom he has done routine work?<br>
<br>

“How he is treated is important. He’s going to fight for his name.
Rather than accept language he disagrees with, he would rather fight it
out. This is his life.”<br>
<br>
These are the words of an adviser to congressman Charles Rangel about
why his month-long settlement negotiations with the House Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct broke down.<br>
<br>

Time Limitations on Ethics Proceedings in Louisiana, and Why They're Bad

I was reminded today that Sen. Arlen Specter, who recently switched
from the Republican party to the Democratic party, voted against Elena
Kagan's appointment as solicitor-general. He now appears likely to support her
appointment to the Supreme Court. This raised the issue in my
mind:  is it
ever right for an elected official to vote on an appointment on purely
partisan grounds?<br>
<br>
Not surprisingly, the same issue arose this week at the local level, in

In my <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/fishing-conflicts&quot; target="”_blank”">most
recent
blog post</a>, I pointed out how vague the concept of an "interest" is
for most people. I would
like to discuss this problem further, because I think it is the cause
of much misunderstanding, as well as weaknesses in ethics code drafting.<br>
<br>