What responsibility does a supervisor have for the unethical conduct of a
subordinate? This issue arises in a matter in Winn Parish, Louisiana
where, according to <a href="http://myarklamiss.com/fulltext?nxd_id=64475&quot; target="”_blank”">an article on
myarklamiss.com</a>, based on a channel 10 newscast (accessible on the
same page as the article), a former chief deputy sheriff is being

According to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/education/11cheat.html&quot; target="”_blank”">an
article in yesterday's New York <i>Times</i></a>, it is coming out that more
teachers and school administrators have been involved in cheating on
the test scores that may not only give them bonuses, but may determine
whether their schools continue to exist. One can argue ad infinitum

<a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100605/EDIT01/6060329/A-Matter-of-…; target="”_blank”">The
<i>Enquirer</i>

As serious as the appearance of impropriety that arises from the council member's
family firm seeking TIF money and a tax abatement from the city is the
fact that any developer or member of a developer's family sitting on a
city council faces not just the occasional ethical controversy, as has
been the case in this situation. Such an individual faces an ongoing
series of possible conflicts, most of which do not lead to complaints, requests for advisory opinions, or controversies.<br>
<br>

The family firm's $100 million development takes this matter beyond
ordinary conflicts, due to state and local laws on officials entering into public contracts with their city. What makes this issue far more
serious than an ordinary conflict, which can be dealt with responsibly through
recusal, is that both state and local law require the official to choose
between his government position and an interest in a public contract.
It is this far more drastic remedy that has recently escalated emotions

In determining whether a conflict or preferential treatment might
exist, another aspect of benefits, in addition to how definite or
direct they
are, is their proportionality. Stated in the form of a question, Is the benefit at issue
just one of many equivalent benefits to a sizeable group, such as
senior citizens or property owners, or is it especially large?<br>
<br>
The council member took the position that he and his family firm
benefited no more than others who owned or had development rights in

Indefinite benefits, like indirect benefits, are often not dealt with
by ethics codes, and this means that they can cause confusion and controversy. This is one reason I
tend to speak in terms of "possible conflicts," because possible
conflicts based on indefinite benefits can be just as injurious to the
public trust as certain conflicts based on certain benefits.<br>
<br>
In the current situation in Cincinnati, it is not certain whether the
streetcar project will benefit the council member's family firm, nor is

A government official's relationships -- to family, employer, business -- are very important to determining whether
conflicts exist. Both the
type and the directness of each relationship are also important.<br>
<br>
Here again are the basic facts of the situation in Cincinnati that I

There is a situation involving a Cincinnati council member that touches
on many important government ethics issues, which I will deal with it
in multiple blog posts over the next couple of days. In this post, I
will set out the basic facts and the issues.<br>
<br>
The council member works for a development company owned by his father
and his uncle, but has no ownership interest in the firm. The firm owns
or has development rights to nine properties within three blocks of a proposed

A capable individual decides to run for city council against an
incumbent who has been on the council since long before the mayor got
involved in politics (in other words, the incumbent owes nothing to the
mayor and is in no way under the mayor's control). The mayor asks a
former mayor to try to convince the candidate to drop out of the race,
and allows the former mayor to offer the candidate an unpaid position
on a city commission.<br>
<br>