What happens if an ethics commission enters into a settlement agreement
in which an official admits to certain conduct in violation of the
jurisdiction's ethics code, and then the official goes out into the
world and says he did nothing wrong, but felt it was best for everyone
to pay the fine and move on?<br>
<br>

It's an excellent way to start an administration, with two executive
orders on government ethics and transparency. It sends an important
message to governments at all levels that even in the midst of economic
crisis and war, ethics is a number one priority.<br>

<b>Rhode Island - Legislative Immunity</b><br>
According to <a href="http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/01/ri-supreme-cour-1.html&quot; target="”_blank”">yesterday's
Providence <span>Journal,</span></a> the

As I wrote in a blog entry nearly two years ago, Memphis has broken
records in terms of convicted public officials. But its mayor of
seventeen years, Willie Herenton, has stood above it all. At least
until now.<br>
<br>
One result of the many convictions in Memphis was a new <a href="http://www.memphistn.gov/pdf_forms/EthicsOrd060407.pdf&quot; target="”_blank”">ethics

I hate to harp so often on the problem of ethics matters being handled
by criminal authorities, but when I read <a href="http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2008/11/28/news/doc4930183…; target="”_blank”">an
article</a> in the Nogales (AZ) <span>International</span>
that begins as follows, I get angry.<ul>
While there was “ample evidence of

When <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/381&quot; target="”_blank”">I wrote
about</a> the "industrial city" of Vernon, California a year ago, I
didn't pay attention to a story that would, if it were true
(allegations have been made but, as far as I know, not proven), make

A year ago, <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/422&quot; target="”_blank”">I wrote</a> about New York City Council's earmark funds and the ways they were
being abused. Atlanta's council members have a different sort of
fund, not intended to help their constituents, but intended to help

<b>See update below</b><br>
<br>
Ethics is popular in Illinois right now, so popular that two mayoral
candidates in the Village of Niles, a northwest suburb of Chicago (pop.
30,000), are putting it at the center of their campaigns. But it's not
ethics as most of us like to think of it.<br>

Are loans to businesses that do business with a city sufficient to
create a conflict of interest? This is the question that has been
batted around recently in Washington, D.C., according to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR20090…; target="”_blank”">an

The new year is a good time for ethics commissions and officers to look
ahead to 2009 and set goals and priorities. According to <a href="http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=51613&quot; target="”_blank”">an
article in today's Jacksonville <span>Daily
Record</span></a>, this is exactly what the Jacksonville (FL) ethics
commission did at its first meeting of the new year. As did the city's