A Proposal to Make New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board More Independent
The ethics commission for the largest American city, and the only one
with a truly appropriate title — New York City's <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/conflicts/html/home/home.shtml" target="”_blank”">Conflicts
of Interest Board</a> — is appointed by the city's extremely strong
mayor, with council approval.<br>
<br>
If this old and highly respected EC were to be made independent of the
administration it oversees, it would send an important message to the
rest of the country's local governments.<br>
<br>
In <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/a-real-public-advocate-fo_b_…; target="”_blank”">a
Huffington Post post</a> yesterday, <a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2252" target="”_blank”">Steven Cohen</a>,
executive director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and
co-author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Public-Manager-Achieving-Government/dp/…; target="”_blank”"><i>The
Effective Public Manager</i></a> (4th Ed.), called for bringing the COIB
into the city's Public Advocate's office</a>.<br>
<br>
The Public Advocate is
supposed to be the city's ombudsman and general watchdog, but Cohen
argues that it is weak and lacking in resources and clear goals. The
COIB not only has resources, but it has clear rules and clear goals.<br>
<br>
Cohen argues that placing the COIB and the Independent Budget Office in
the independently elected Public Advocate's office would give it the
power and resources to provide meaningful oversight. It would also make
the COIB more independent.<br>
<br>
However, I think it would still be best for the COIB's independence,
and appearance of independence, if its members were nominated not by
the mayor or the public advocate, but by representatives of community
organizations that have no direct relationship with the city's
government.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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