The City Commission vote against the Ethics Advisory Panel (EAP) recommendation for an appointed Ethics Officer was bad enough. But to think the probable future Mayor of the City of Tallahassee could not see the wisdom put forth by the EAP is even more troubling. When the Tallahassee Democrat, Martha Barnett, the former President of […]
On Wednesday, March 12, 2014, Mayor John Marks used an electronic kill switch to repeatedly turn off the microphone being used by Dr. Erwin Jackson during the time allotted for citizens to speak to the City Commission. Dr. Jackson, who has been a frequent participate in the unagendaed speaker portion of City Commission meeting over […]
On March 12, 2014, the City Commission will address the Ethics Advisory Panel recommendations that were not adopted at the Target Issue Workshop held on November 20, 2013. The City Commission appointed a citizen Ethics Advisory Panel (EAP) that first convened on November 8, 2012. The EAP was charged with examining the various City policies, […]
Over a six month period from October, 2012 until July, 2013 something special happened in City Hall. Something that a lot of people in this community had been seeking for a number of years. But those people were told they were naysayers and critics. The powers in City Hall told these people “take your three […]
The City of Tallahassee staff will formally ask the City Commissioners to vote against some of the major recommendations made by the Ethics Advisory Panel (EAP) on Wednesday during a City Commission workshop. The Ethics Advisory Panel, made up of nine citizens, including a retired Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and a former President […]
During the 17th meeting of the City’s Ethics Advisory Panel, on Monday June 10, the issue of oversight authority was front and center. The question of who an Ethics Officer would report to has been lingering over the meetings for the last few weeks. While the discussions had been cordial, it was obvious that a […]
While the City’s Ethics Advisory Panel is set to recommend significant changes to ethics rules for elected officials with respect to financial disclosure, business conflicts, and training, the question of who will be responsible for implementing these new rules has yet to be resolved. During the Panel’s meeting on May 30th, scheduled to be its […]
The City’s Ethics Advisory Panel held a public hearing Wednesday night in the City Hall Chambers. But before the public meeting, the Panel took care of some unfinished business with regards to the structure of the oversight authority for a new ethics code. The focus of the Panel was a recommendation by Panel member Jaber […]
Chairperson Martha Barnett said something at the City’s Ethics Advisory Panel that a number of citizens have known for a long time: “We need more transparency and accountability in this digital age.” With that, the members of the Panel spent over two hours reaching consensus on major changes to the current rules and laws that […]