By: Ben Poitevent

Ben Poitevent — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:13:04 +0000

The great difficulty is establishing a truly independent office. How and by whom will such a person be selected? Who will draft the qualifications and who will have hiring and firing authority? If the office is subordinate to the City Attorney the potential conflict is that the City Attorney serves at the pleasure of the city commission. If the ethics officer is directly subordi ate to the city commission, that potential for conflict is obvious. Contracting with an outside person with no interest or involvement in city politics or politicians may be a possibility.
When the independent office is established, elected officials should be prohibited from initiating contact with the office except upon inquiry from the office, or to file a complaint.
The model for an Office of the Independent Monitor already exists. The heavy burden on the members of the ethics panel is to do that which is very difficult to accomplish, remove political influence from the functioning of such an office to the greatest possible extent. I wish them well.

By: bob fulford

bob fulford — Thu, 30 May 2013 11:58:14 +0000

with all due respect to the members of the panel remember that they were picked by the City Commission. To get done what needs to be done in so far as ethical behavior on the part of the City Commission an independent panel must be convened.

My guess is that, for specious reasons, the notion of an independent ethics officer will not be acceptable. Should the notion be accepted such an officer will not be independent.

Comments on: Oversight Authority At Center of Ethics Panel Discussion

By: Ben Poitevent

By: bob fulford