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Recently, the Connecticut Task Force on Municipal Ethics discussed a draft report. Neither in the report, nor in the discussion, is there anything about ethics training, the independence of ethics commissions, or financial disclosure. Advisory opinions were not included in the draft, but...

Electing local government employees to local government office can cause problems. There are constitutional protections against forbidding it, but there are conflict of interest arguments against doing it.

According to an article in today's Southtown Star, in Chicago Heights (IL)...

How often should ethics commissions meet?

The usual answer to that question is, As often as they need to. But how often is that?

Most of the Illinois Reform Commission's report, which was published yesterday, has little to do with local government ethics, but there is enough overlap to make it worth skimming through. The IRC was charged with recommending changes in the state's ethics and campaign finance programs.

Of special interest is the section entitled Inspiring Better Government (p. 73...

Massachusetts has an interesting, but I think limited ethics provision that applies to local government board members and jobs under their board's supervision:

If I am corrupt, it is because I take care of my district.

—Rep. John P. Murtha (PA)

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