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The status of a local government attorney is important. An external local government attorney, that is, one not employed full-time by the government, is still seen as the top legal official in town, someone whose word is effectively law, especially at government meetings. Such an attorney is also seen as representing the public interest whenever the government is involved.

But part-time, external local government attorneys have mouths to feed, and they are often approached by...

Here's an interesting case study from Council Bluffs, IA. According to an article in yesterday's Daily Nonpareil, there is an issue involving whether a new county board member who sits on...

Self-promotion is the ultimate form of placing one's own interests over the public interest, but we expect it from politicians. It's an ego thing. It has no place in an ethics code.

But the four-term-plus sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ (which includes Phoenix and Scottsdale) has turned self-promotion into an extreme sport.

The situation discussed in the previous blog entry also provides a good example of why it is important to have a contract avoidance provision in a local government ethics code. Here is the one in the City Ethics Model Code:

Any contract, agreement, or other business transaction entered into by or with the city which results in or from a...

How do you deal with a department head who helps creates a conflict of interest problem that does not apply to him personally? Few ethics codes contain complicity provisions that deal with this problem. The City Ethics Model Code complicity provision begins: "No one may, directly or indirectly, induce, encourage, or aid anyone to violate any provision of this code...."

Life would be easier for honest politicians if there could be no intersection between government contracts and contributions to campaign and candidate-associated political committees. The possibility of Commerce Secretary nominee Bill Richardson's involvement in a New Mexico pay-to-play situation has led him to withdraw himself from the nomination process, according to an AP...