According to <a href="http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20091120/NEWS01/311200073/1006/SPORT…; target="”_blank”">an
article in <i>Town Talk</i></a>, an allegation against the mayor of Alexandria
(LA) of ignoring a conflict of interest has led to some all too typical
denial, squabbling, and inappropriate city attorney activity.<br>
<br>

<br>
Ethics reform is difficult without a scandal. If your local government
doesn't have an ethics commission, it's hard to form one. If there's an
ethics commission without teeth, it's hard to even get dentures. And in
Denver, according to <a href="http://www.coloradoforethics.org/node/27787&quot; target="”_blank”">an article in the
Denver <i>Post</i></a>, it's hard to even get information about what happens

There are many right and wrong ways to select an ethics commission. The
rightest ways <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/770&quot; target="”_blank”">take the selection process out of the hands</a> of anyone who
could possibly come before the EC, because that places a conflict of
interest at the very center of a process intended to guide and enforce
the responsible handling of conflicts. The rightest ways also prevent

According to <a href="http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2009/11/26/news/doc4b0de71113075929…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the <i>Times-Herald</i></a>, a Montgomery County
(PA) judge ruled that the county commissioners do not have authority to
prohibit employees of the district attorney or sheriff's offices from
participating in political activities or running for office.<br>
<br>

<a href="http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wethics22.44…; target="”_blank”">An
article in the Riverside (CA) <i>Press-Enterprise</i></a> this week raises two
interesting government ethics issues. One involves conflicts based on a
business-related desire to have good relations with the local
government. The other involves conflicts based on campaign

<br>
<b>Outside Ethics Commission Members</b><br>
According to <a href="http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20091122/NEWS01/911220302/1002/New-p…; target="”_blank”">an
article in yesterday's Salisbury (MD) <i>Daily Times</i></a>, the mayor of
Snow Hill (pop. 2400) has decided to look outside his town for members of an ad hoc

When people support ethics programs that feature toothless enforcement,
reel off the names of the countries that support toothless enforcement
of the <a href="http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/index.html">UN
Convention against Corruption</a> (according to <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=…

I think it's safe to say that a local government ethics "first" has
occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland. A transgendered council aide
has filed a complaint against the <a href="http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgtmpl.asp?url=/ethics/index.asp&quot; target="”_blank”">county
ethics commission</a> on the grounds that the EC investigated her

<br>
<b>“People seem to listen to you more when you’ve got a bagful of cash.”</b><br>
<br>
—<a href="http://www.uschamber.com/about/management/donohue.htm&quot; target="”_blank”">Thomas

<b>Update:</b> November 20, 2009 (see below)<br>
<br>
The latest news from the federal trial of former New York state senate
majority leader Joseph Bruno's is sadly not surprising. According to an
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jPxZbZxMboqXl0tLHNpTF…; target="”_blank”">Associated
Press article</a> yesterday, former senate legal counsel told Bruno to