Mayor of City with Self-Regulating Ethics Program Arrested for Bribery

Another mayor has resigned after getting caught by an FBI sting.
According to <a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/03/26/4795861/charlotte-mayor-pat…; target="”_blank”">an

article in yesterday's Charlotte <i>Observer</i></a>, Charlotte's mayor,
Patrick Cannon, has been alleged to have accepted bribes from
undercover agents in return for promises to help them. His alleged
crimes occurred when he was a council member and in the five months
since he became mayor.<br>
<br>
Would it have helped if Charlotte had had a good, independent ethics
program, with training, independent advice, and disclosure?
Possibly. It certainly would have helped if Cannon and his fellow
council members had considered it important to have a good,
independent ethics program. If these issues were openly discussed
and if gifts, not to mention bribes, were not only prohibited, but
frowned on and enforced, it is more likely that Cannon would have
resisted temptation.<br>
<br>

Instead, like the county in which it sits, and like the U.S.
Congress, Charlotte's council self-regulates on conflicts of
interest. The decision to do this, when no one outside of Congress
considers this a best practice, is a decision is to give short
shrift to ethics. Will the arrest of their long-time colleague
change council members' attitude? Will they see a good ethics program not only as good for their community, but even good for themselves?<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
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