City Ethics | Breaking the oxymoron: "City Ethics"

Local Government Practice August 15, 2010

Simultaneous, Political Appointments and the Ethical Culture of an Authority

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) has been getting a lot of heat lately. The bi-state organization operates four toll bridges and a commuter system between Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. According to an article in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pennsylvania treasurer, who is a…

Transparency & Disclosure August 14, 2010

The Advantages of Annual Financial Disclosure

Here's a good followup to yesterday's blog post about a conflict of interest in Tucson. In that post, I argued that annual financial disclosure makes it clear that an official's basic interests are public information, and said, "The goal of annual disclosure is to let the public know about an offic…

Transparency & Disclosure August 13, 2010

An Official's Possibly Conflicting Interests Are Public Information

Recusal is a two-part process. First, the official discloses his interest in a matter that has or will come before his board or agency. Then, the official does not participate in that matter. In Tucson, this process was distorted by the involvement of a board attorney. According to an article in We…

August 12, 2010

A Sheriff Joe Campaign Finance Gambit

I don't normally deal with purely campaign finance issues, but this gambit is too good (or too bad) to pass by. The perpetrator of the gambit is our old friend Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ. You see, he's not running for sheriff again until 2012, but he doesn't like one of the guys who'…

August 12, 2010

A Big-City EC That Won't Meet or Stay Out of Politics

The Kansas City, MO ethics commission situation is a mess. Last month, I wrote about the problem that arose regarding EC members who made campaign contributions to candidates over whom they had jurisdiction, leading to two resignations. Soon after, the council prohibited EC members from making cont…

Ethics Codes & Reform August 11, 2010

It's Important to Make Sure That a Confidential Information Provision Cannot Be Used Against Whistleblowers

Whistleblower provisions are extremely important to government ethics, but poorly worded ethics provisions can undermine even the best whistleblower provisions, especially in unscrupulous hands. One such ethics provision is the confidential information provision. A nurse at a Winker County, TX hosp…

Ethics Codes & Reform August 11, 2010

Two Very Different Views of Local Government Ethics

Below are the opinions of two candidates running in a primary for a seat on the Effingham County, GA commission, which perfectly present two very different views of local government ethics, one pseudo-religious (people are good or bad), the other professional (people need guidance): Question from E…

August 10, 2010

An Advisory Opinion Gambit in the Big Apple

Here's a clever way to abuse the advisory opinion process. A few months after conduct begins, seek advice from the ethics commission. After the EC tells you it's okay, increase the amount of conduct so much that the advice is no longer relevant, and then point to the advice in defense of the conduc…

Campaign Finance & Pay-to-Play August 10, 2010

Dealing Responsibly with Contributions from Individuals Convicted of Crimes

What responsibility does a candidate have to check on those who make contributions to his or her campaign? Is there a greater responsibility when the candidate is running for a law enforcement position, from sheriff to D.A. to judge? These questions were raised with respect to a situation in Dallas…

Ethics Commissions & Administration August 9, 2010

The Tough Way to Revive a Moribund Ethics Commission

What do you do when an ethics commission is moribund? Sadly, few people know and few people care. That is the norm. Rarely does an official complain publicly, "I have no one to give me good ethics advice." She just goes to the city or county attorney, or makes the decision herself. Rarely does anyo…

Subscribe to