One can learn a
lot about local government (and judicial) ethics by listening to local
officials talk about a conflict situation
they're in. Here's one from Dallas County,  where
the district attorney's wife is a political
consultant for the campaigns of seven judges before whom the D.A.'s
office
practices.<br>
<br>

Since my <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/787&quot; target="”_blank”">exchange</a>
with an attorney for the Michigan Townships Association in June, I've
been wondering about the inherent conflicts involved in local
government associations. The bottom line is, Is there any relationship
between who sits on the boards of such associations and laws such as

The mayor of Baltimore is on trial for stealing $1,500 in gift cards,
allegedly intended for poor Baltimore residents. A <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bal-dixonletter…; target="”_blank”">letter
to the editor</a> of the Baltimore <i>Sun</i> proposes a better approach
than a trial costing hundreds of thousands of dollars:<br>
<br>

Ethics is a funny thing. So is character. If you violate a law, you're
unethical beyond redeem, and your character is worthless. It's so
worthless, that you have no right to talk about ethics or character,
even though you've been through the ethics grinder and have thought
about it far more than the average person.<br>
<br>
This is the situation that faces Eliot Spitzer. Nearly every article
about a lecture he gave on Friday at Harvard's Safra Foundation Center

I recently <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/new-michigan-model-local-government-e…; target="”_blank”">critiqued</a>
the new <a href="http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34391-218887--,00.html&quot; target="”_blank”">Michigan
model local government ethics ordinance</a>. Mark Liss, a council

"You can buy Supreme Court races" under the current system, said Rep.
Pedro Colón (D-Milwaukee). "The sign is outside: 'This court is
for
sale.'" (from <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/69304827.html&quot; target="”_blank”">an
article in the Milwaukee <i>Journal Sentinel</i></a> last week)<br>
<br>
Nobody wants this to be said, at least nobody but four of the seven

<p>
<img src="http://www.cityethics.org/sites/cityethics.org/files/CDM-160.gif&quot; alt="" align="right"><br />
<p>This website is an international project designed to exchange best practices in government ethics programs. Please participate and send us your ideas for expansion of the site. <br>
Thank you!</p>
<h3>Carla Miller</h3>

In a recent <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/new-michigan-model-local-government-e…; target="”_blank”">blog
post</a> on the new Michigan Model Local Government Ethics Ordinance, I
noted in passing that the model wrongfully made divulging confidential
information a violation even when it benefits no one, and that this is not a government ethics issue.<br>
<br>

<p>
<img src="files/CDM-160.gif" alt="" align="right"><br />
<p>This website is an international project designed to exchange best practices in government ethics programs. Please participate and send us your ideas for expansion of the site. <br>
Thank you!</p>
<h3>Carla Miller</h3>

<br>
<b>"I don't think we need to have an ethics officer. ... I feel we already
have three ethics officers."</b><br>
<br>
—<a href="http://www.fbfl.us/&quot; target="”_blank”">Fernandina Beach</a>