Bullheadedness is unprofessional, at least in most professions. By
"bullheadedness," I mean doing what you want no matter whether a
professional tells you not to do it or whether your boss tells you not
to do it, even if they tell you why and they are clearly right.<br>
<br>
One of the professions where bullheadedness is somewhat acceptable is

The Green Bay Packers football team is going to try to win its game
today in order to get to the playoffs and seek its first Super Bowl
victory since 1996. Before 1996, the Packers hadn't won a Super Bowl
since
Vince Lombardi coached them there in 1967.<br>
<br>
An ethics board meeting is not quite a Super Bowl, but Green Bay's

In February, Florida governor Charlie Crist asked for a grand jury to
report on government corruption in Florida. <a href="http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JFAO-8CLT9A/$file/19thSWGJInt…; target="”_blank”">The
first
interim report</a> was filed yesterday. Its recommendations involve local government as well as state ethics laws.<br>
<br>

The recent arrest of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George%27s_County,_Maryland&quot; target="”_blank”">Prince
George's
County (MD)</a> executive and his wife, who is a new member of
the county council, shows how wrong it is to give the county executive
and individual council
members power over development projects, a topic I've written about
with

According to <a href="http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101228/NEWS/…; target="”_blank”">an
article yesterday on seacoastonline.com</a>, a committee of the Select
Board of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hampton,_Nh&quot; target="”_blank”">North

It is difficult to emphasize too much that council control over the
ethics process is not only inappropriate and ineffective, but harmful.
The first use of a new ethics ordinance in the aptly named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Ground,_Washington&quot; target="”_blank”">Battle
Ground, Washington</a> (pop. 18,000) provides yet another example of
the problems that may arise.<br>
<br>

<a href="http://www.pioneerlocal.com/lakeforest/news/forum/2971664,lake-forest-t…; target="”_blank”">An
editorial
in the <i>Lake Forester</i> last week</a> questions whether the
county board of Lake County (IL) should be taking a fresh look at the
county's ethics program.<ul>

Is discomfort with a centralized ethics program by various parts of a local
government something that should stand in the way of creating one?
According to <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/12/24/news/shoreline/bb1maethic…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the New Haven <i>Register</i> last week</a>, this has been

If "conflict of interest" were a cause of action, what would it be? A
matter right in the small city next to my town answers this question,
and gives a new angle by which to view conflicts.<br>
<br>

<b>Government Executives and the Ethics Commission Selection Process</b><br>
Should government chief executives appoint ethics commission members or their
staff? The common practice is that they usually do. But the common
practice is not necessarily the best practice, especially when it puts a conflict of interest at the heart of the conflict of interest process.<br>
<br>
This issue has arisen in a very concrete way in Montana, where the