Gifts to a local official can fall between jurisdictional cracks, as
shown in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/nyregion/tech-magnates-bet-on-booker-…; target="”_blank”">an
article today in the New York <i>Times</i></a>. They can also fall between
definitional cracks. And between these cracks it's gray.<br>
<br>

Yesterday, <a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20130806/STATE/308060018/DOC-of…; target="”_blank”">Oregon's
<i>Statesman Journal</i> reported</a> an interesting case that involves a
number of important government ethics issues.<br>
<br>
The state's Department of Corrections (DOC) deputy director
allegedly used his position to influence an Oregon Corrections

Once again, the failure to work out in advance the relationship
between an ethics commission and an inspector general's office has
led to the locking of horns in the midst of an ethics proceeding.
This time the location of the turf war is the District of Columbia.<br>
<br>

Here's an interesting case study from Hartford, CT. The facts come
from <a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/investigations/Hartford-Councilman-Faces-…; target="”_blank”">an

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/opinion/sunday/the-whistle-blowers-qu…; target="”_blank”">An
op-ed piece in the New York <i>Times Sunday Review</i> today</a> looks at
whistleblowing from the perspective of whether people lean toward
fairness or loyalty (those who lean to fairness are more likely to
blow the whistle on misconduct). This is, of course, a simplistic

Two weeks ago, <a href="http://www.bettergov.org/action_policy/bgaalper_services_integrity_inde…; target="”_blank”">the
Better Government Association-Alper Services Integrity Index</a> was published, the first
since 2008. It grades each state's conflicts of interest, freedom of
information, open meetings, and whistleblower-protection laws.<br>
<br>

<h4>"[Standard & Poor's's ratings have always been] uninfluenced by
conflicts of interest."</h4><br>

<h4>"The code of conduct guiding U.S. judges is not technically binding
on Supreme Court justices. But we choose to follow it. The Judicial
Conference [of the United States] has a committee on judicial ethics
that will give advisory opinions to judges who have questions about
whether something is ethical. I always check with that committee.
... [An example of a question, answer, and handling of the
situation.] ... that’s an example of how I’m insulated by that
committee."</h4><br>

One of the worst times to create a conflict of interest is in the
midst of labor negotiations. This is what has happened recently in
San Francisco, where Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is negotiating
contracts with its three unions. There was a short strike in July,
and now there are negotiations with an August 4 deadline.<br>
<br>
The conflict involves the company for which BART's labor negotiator works,
which is itself a large transportation company, specializing in bus

On Friday, New Orleans' Inspector General, who works for the city's ethics board, sent off two
letters relating to the auditor for the Orleans Parish sheriff's
office. <a href="http://www.nolaoig.org/uploads/File/Public%20Letters/Ltr%20La%20Ethics%…; target="”_blank”">One
letter was sent to the state's ethics board</a>, which has
jurisdiction over local officials, requesting that it take