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1. Why Are Council and School Board Seats Incompatible?

   ... offices” is a form of conflict that is usually left out of ethics codes. One reason is that there is a common law prohibition against ... disobedience is something that citizens practice against the government. Sometimes, government officials do refuse to enforce a law they ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

2. Additional Reading on Speech or Debate Clause Issues

   ... the federal Speech or Debate Clause applies equally to local government legislators. But the discussions are all relevant to local ... about a similar 2007 controversy between the Rhode Island Ethics Commission and the state senate president. The senate president ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

3. Employers Seeking to Affect Employees' Political Participation

   ... is, I believe, the worst kind of ethical misconduct in government, because (1) it limits or changes participation of people in the ... this topic .) Intimidation is a clear sign of a poor ethics environment. When I first became involved, as a citizen, in my town's ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

4. A City Pension Board Attorney's Fiefdom

   ... I talk a lot about the importance of independent ethics commissions. But independence is not always a good thing for local government boards and commissions. Independence without oversight, ... Vendors Ethics Environments Gifts Local Government Attorneys Misuse of Office/Special In the news ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

5. Clean Water and Clean Hands

   Body:  What do clean water laws have to do with government ethics laws? According to an article in today's New York Times , there are ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

6. Two Perspectives on Gift-Giving

   Body:  I'm back from the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) conference, and I will be sharing some valuable information ... in ethics codes, the panel consisted not only of the usual government ethics professionals, but also a lawyer who advises and defends ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

7. Supreme Court Blow to Municipal Employee Dissent

   ... Yesterday, the Supreme Court delivered a blow to municipal government employee rights in its decision in Garcetti et al v. Ceballos. ... the public interest. This is exactly the kind of problem ethics codes that take the form of laws cannot handle. And yet it is an ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

8. Legislative Immunity in Rhode Island -- A New Court Decision

   ... Court Judge Francis J. Darigan dismissed a state ethics commission case against the state's former senate president, William V. ... neither judicial nor executive. It has a special position in government, and its purpose is not to deal with the content of any activity, ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

9. Making a Gray Area Black and White

   Body:  Gray areas in local government ethics don't necessarily have to be gray areas. According to an article ... approved. Here is the relevant language in the city's ethics code: Sec. 2-812. Participation in Contracts. No official or ...

   Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

10. Rules Disallowing Complaints Before Elections

    ... jurisdictions have a rule that disallows the filing of an ethics complaint against an elected official within so many days before ... The purpose of such a rule is to prevent the abuse of the ethics process for political purposes. But is this the best solution to this ...

    Robert Wechsler - 2018-12-19 17:18 - 0 comments

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