<br><br>Although the Chicago Ethics Reform Task Force, <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/chicago-ethics-task-force-files-first…; target="”_blank”">in
its first report</a>, came out strongly in favor of more

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/nyregion/assemblyman-lopez-is-a-fierc…; target="”_blank”">A
front-page article in yesterday's New York <i>Times</i></a> provides an
excellent portrait of a government official who, although doing much
good work, made it all about himself and those with whom he has

Ethics program independence is, as far as I'm concerned, the single
most important issue in ethics reform. Nothing gains the public's
trust as much as an ethics program that is independent from the
officials over whom it has jurisdiction.<br>
<br>
Ethics program independence means that officials do not participate
in an ethics program in any way other than drafting ethics ordinances
(and even here, most of the work should be done by or in
conjunction with outside people who have special expertise). Independence

<b>Yet Another Mayoral Charity Mess, This Time in Toronto</b><br>

<br>The principal topic of the <a href="http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/sites/default/files/Report%20of%20the%20…; target="”_blank”">second report of the Chicago Ethics Reform Task Force</a> is the
relationship between the Board of Ethics and the city's dual
inspectors general, one for the executive branch (the IG) and a new

Today, I received a copy of the <a href="http://www.dallascityhall.com/council_briefings/agendas/agendas_0812/Fi…; target="”_blank”">Dallas
City Council agenda addendum for its August 22 meeting</a>.
This addendum contains (pp. 11-17) extensive information about a
large ($434,495) contract for "the assessment of the City’s current ethics
guidelines and the development of an ethics training program." City

<br><a href="http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/sites/default/files/Report%20of%20the%20…; target="”_blank”">The second report of the Chicago Ethics Reform Task Force</a> came out

<br>This post looks at the final three essays in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Corruption-American-Politics-Michael-Genovese/dp/…; target="”_blank”"><i>Corruption and American Politics</i></a>, an essay collection edited by Michael
A. Genovese and Victoria A. Farrar-Meyers (Cambria, 2011). <br>
<br>
<b>Pay to Play in the Municipal Bond Market</b><br>

A number of important issues arise from a case before the <a href="http://www.iowa.gov/ethics/&quot; target="”_blank”">Iowa Ethics and Campaign
Disclosure Board</a> (ECDB) last week. The issues include: (1) how
to treat an inadequate complaint; (2) how to treat a complainant in
a proceeding, and (3) what to do when an ethics code and rules may
be inadequate to a situation where there is a strong appearance of
impropriety.<br>
<br>

<br>The fifth essay in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Corruption-American-Politics-Michael-Genovese/dp/…; target="”_blank”"><i>Corruption and American Politics</i></a>, an essay collection edited by Michael
A. Genovese and Victoria A. Farrar-Meyers (Cambria, 2011), is by
editor Michael Genovese, a professor at Loyola Marymount
University. An essay on presidential corruption would not appear to