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A Miscellany
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Robert Wechsler
A Good Discussion of a Possible Conflict
It's good to see ethics discussions where both sides have good arguments to make. According to an article yesterday on southcoasttoday.com, the selectmen of Lakeville, MA were discussing the possible hiring of an electrical inspector who does electrical work for the town of 10,000 south of Boston.
One side argued that it is unfair to have electricians competing for town work against the electrical inspector. One of the selectmen added, "It's not a good feeling when you know you have to come into town and bid against somebody that's going to inspect your work." The inspector would be able to work for all the other towns around.
The other side argued that it is unfair to make an electrician give up a lot of work to get "a little, teeny, part-time, few hours a month" position. The selectmen chair said that there are state laws allowing plumbing and gas inspectors to do work for their town, and it would be easy for the town to pass a law providing the same opportunity for electrical inspectors. The chair suggested asking the state ethics commission, but it appears that the selectmen chose to make the decision themselves.
Ironically, the two other people who have applied for the position are inspectors in a neighboring town that does not allow them to work for the town. They have already made the sacrifice that the chair believes should not be made in her town.
A Complainant's View
Worthy of a read is a piece on the Whatcom County (WA) Democrats site by someone whose ethics complaint concerning the appointment of a council member was unsuccessful. It's a thoughtful piece, leading up to a valuable and unusual statement in this highly partisan era: "Republicans are not your enemy here. The true enemy is complacency." For background on the situation — whether a council member-nominee for an appointment can vote on other nominees — see this post from the same site.
Ethics and Criminal Charges
Sometimes ethics charges can ruin an official's career, but other times they can be a mere footnote. According to an article last night on the foxtv10.com site, ethics charges are going to be brought against a Mobile County (AL) commissioner who took his county pickup truck to another state for personal purposes.
This same pickup truck was seen at the scene of what appears to be the homicide of a woman the county commissioner appears to have been having an affair with, according to numerous articles (check out the summary on the Mod Mobilian site).
No criminal charges have been brought against the county commissioner, although there has also been an investigation of marijuana found in the truck. Therefore, the ethics charges might be the first (and only) brought against the commissioner.
The ethics charge would seem to be too minor to pursue, if there were homicide charges brought. However, especially since the charges would not involve the same incident (in which case the ethics investigation could be delayed until the criminal case was completed), there would seem to be no reason not to pursue an ethics charge in this situation.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
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It's good to see ethics discussions where both sides have good arguments to make. According to an article yesterday on southcoasttoday.com, the selectmen of Lakeville, MA were discussing the possible hiring of an electrical inspector who does electrical work for the town of 10,000 south of Boston.
One side argued that it is unfair to have electricians competing for town work against the electrical inspector. One of the selectmen added, "It's not a good feeling when you know you have to come into town and bid against somebody that's going to inspect your work." The inspector would be able to work for all the other towns around.
The other side argued that it is unfair to make an electrician give up a lot of work to get "a little, teeny, part-time, few hours a month" position. The selectmen chair said that there are state laws allowing plumbing and gas inspectors to do work for their town, and it would be easy for the town to pass a law providing the same opportunity for electrical inspectors. The chair suggested asking the state ethics commission, but it appears that the selectmen chose to make the decision themselves.
Ironically, the two other people who have applied for the position are inspectors in a neighboring town that does not allow them to work for the town. They have already made the sacrifice that the chair believes should not be made in her town.
A Complainant's View
Worthy of a read is a piece on the Whatcom County (WA) Democrats site by someone whose ethics complaint concerning the appointment of a council member was unsuccessful. It's a thoughtful piece, leading up to a valuable and unusual statement in this highly partisan era: "Republicans are not your enemy here. The true enemy is complacency." For background on the situation — whether a council member-nominee for an appointment can vote on other nominees — see this post from the same site.
Ethics and Criminal Charges
Sometimes ethics charges can ruin an official's career, but other times they can be a mere footnote. According to an article last night on the foxtv10.com site, ethics charges are going to be brought against a Mobile County (AL) commissioner who took his county pickup truck to another state for personal purposes.
This same pickup truck was seen at the scene of what appears to be the homicide of a woman the county commissioner appears to have been having an affair with, according to numerous articles (check out the summary on the Mod Mobilian site).
No criminal charges have been brought against the county commissioner, although there has also been an investigation of marijuana found in the truck. Therefore, the ethics charges might be the first (and only) brought against the commissioner.
The ethics charge would seem to be too minor to pursue, if there were homicide charges brought. However, especially since the charges would not involve the same incident (in which case the ethics investigation could be delayed until the criminal case was completed), there would seem to be no reason not to pursue an ethics charge in this situation.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
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