Kudos to the editorial board of the St. Louis <i>Post-Dispatch</i> for
inventing a new local government ethics term in <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-dys…; target="”_blank”">an
editorial yesterday</a>. The term is "dyscronia."<br>
<br>

One kind of revolving door that is often ignored is the move from
elected or appointed board or commission membership and a paid
position that is approved by and under the direction of the same
board or commission. It makes it look as if the board member were
using her position to get herself a nice job, and exclude others. It
also puts the board members in the conflicted position of overseeing
a former colleague, who might very well be seen to have made a deal
with them that would give them something in return for their

When it comes to conflicts of interest, is a local government
attorney primarily an attorney or a local government official? I
would answer this question, "Definitely an official." But recently
the New Jersey Supreme Court answered this question, "Definitely an
attorney." In fact, had the attorney been an administrator, the
opinion suggests, the court's decision would have been different.<br>
<br>
The opinion focuses on the standard for determining whether the

It is a pleasant surprise to find an intelligent conversation about
local government ethics in an article and the comments to it. The
latest example of this occurred <a href="http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/andy_rizzo_…; target="”_blank”">yesterday
in the New Haven (CT) <i>Independent</b></a>, an online newspaper.<br>
<br>

Edward T. Hall's classic book, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=reByw3FWVWsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=be…; target="”_blank”"><i>Beyond
Culture</i></a> (Anchor Books, 1976), is not a government ethics book.
But a lot of the wisdom in this brilliant book can be applied to our
field.<br>
<br>

Several interesting issues arise from a recent ethics case in
Jefferson Parish, a suburb of New Orleans with about 430,000 people.
According to <a href="http://theadvocate.com/news/6470612-123/jeff-ethics-panel-declines-to&q…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the <i>Advocate</i> yesterday</a>, an employee of a large

Two of the most important elements of a government ethics program
are the appearance (and reality) of independence and a monopoly on
ethics advice and enforcement. The government ethics program that
has jurisdiction over the greatest number of local officials and
employees in the U.S. has problems with respect to both of these elements. And
its commission's selection of a new executive director, after two years without
a formal director, emphasizes both of these problems.<br>
<br>

In New Orleans, it is the ethics board that selects <a href="http://nolaoig.org/main/">the city's inspector general</a>.
According to <a href="http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans-Magazine/July-2013/Assessing-a-…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the July issue of <i>New Orleans</i> magazine</a>, it took the

<b>Update</b> October 7, 2013 (see below)<br>
<br>
On Independence Day weekend, I like to focus on the independence of
local government ethics programs. The public naturally trusts any
ethics program that has not been selected by the officials under its
jurisdiction. An EC that is not dependent on the
appointment and budgetary powers of a mayor or local legislative
body can function, and be seen to function, fairly and without bias.<br>
<br>

According to <a href="http://www.nmtelegram.com/2013/05/07/berry-donors-sue-clerk-over-contri…; target="”_blank”">a
New Mexico <i>Telegram</i> article</a>, four Albuquerque contractors sued
the city's ethics board, claiming that a 2007 charter provision banning
contributions from contractors violates
their free speech rights.<br>
<br>