Gifts to local governments have become an issue recently in Sacramento,
CA and Richland Hills, TX. <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/123&quot; target="”_blank”">I
wrote about various aspects of this issue over two years ago</a>. It's
time to raise it with respect to concrete examples.<br>
<br>
Basically, gifts to local governments by businesses and individuals
with a business relationship to the local government carry a strong

<b>See updates below</b><br>
<br>
It's refreshing to feel good after reading a mayor's statement in
response to <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/11450080/Warrant">a warrant for his arrest</a>. According to <a href="http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-perez0127.artjan27,0,4916395.story…; target="”_blank”">an

Here's a more interesting story out of Massachusetts, this one from the
state Senate. Former state senator Dianne Wilkerson admits having
accepted up to $70,000 from friends and supporters in what is being called personal fundraising, that is, raising money to pay off personal debts. She says that the gifts were approved by the state

Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi will be resigning his house seat
tomorrow, according to <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/26/dima…; target="”_blank”">an

Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has been <a href="http://news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/nys/usbruno12309ind.html&quot; target="”_blank”">indicted</a>
by a federal grand jury, but his biggest crime was not taking millions
of dollars in so-called consulting fees. His biggest crime was standing
in the way of any meaningful ethics reform in New York State.<br>

What happens if an ethics commission enters into a settlement agreement
in which an official admits to certain conduct in violation of the
jurisdiction's ethics code, and then the official goes out into the
world and says he did nothing wrong, but felt it was best for everyone
to pay the fine and move on?<br>
<br>

It's an excellent way to start an administration, with two executive
orders on government ethics and transparency. It sends an important
message to governments at all levels that even in the midst of economic
crisis and war, ethics is a number one priority.<br>

<b>Rhode Island - Legislative Immunity</b><br>
According to <a href="http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/01/ri-supreme-cour-1.html&quot; target="”_blank”">yesterday's
Providence <span>Journal,</span></a> the

As I wrote in a blog entry nearly two years ago, Memphis has broken
records in terms of convicted public officials. But its mayor of
seventeen years, Willie Herenton, has stood above it all. At least
until now.<br>
<br>
One result of the many convictions in Memphis was a new <a href="http://www.memphistn.gov/pdf_forms/EthicsOrd060407.pdf&quot; target="”_blank”">ethics

I hate to harp so often on the problem of ethics matters being handled
by criminal authorities, but when I read <a href="http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2008/11/28/news/doc4930183…; target="”_blank”">an
article</a> in the Nogales (AZ) <span>International</span>
that begins as follows, I get angry.<ul>
While there was “ample evidence of