I was browsing this morning, and ended up at the Honolulu Ethics Commission web site. This is the city agency, not connected to the State Ethics Commission. Unlike the state, which makes lots of information readily available, from lobbyist registration forms, public financial disclosures, and gift disclosures, the city site is pretty bare. I clicked [...]
This is probably way more than you want to read about ethics, conflicts, and disclosure, especially on Easter. But… Yesterday’s post concerning conflict of interest declarations by members of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals has generated an interesting discussion. I started by observing that the advice of a city attorney that the board members’ [...]
Tags: Honolulu Ethics Commission·Honolulu Zoning Board of Appeals
CityEthics.org, a blog associated with a nonprofit organization in Connecticut, picked up on the issue of political activities by former Honolulu Ethics Commission chair, Lex Smith. In a blog post today, Robert Wechsler, director of research for City Ethics, comments after reviewing the political activities attributed to Smith and the relevant provisions of law: I [...]
The chairman of the Honolulu Ethics Commission has resigned from the commission in order to avoid potential legal questions stemming from his participation in political campaigns. Ethics commission members are permitted to vote and to make campaign contributions, but any further political activity or support for or against any candidate is strictly prohibited. The mayor [...]
Tags: Honolulu Ethics Commission·Kirk Caldwell·Lex Smith·Mufi Hannemann
Well, it looks like lobbyists won another one. At least that’s my reaction to a ruling last month by the City Ethics Commission. In Advisory Opinion 2010-3, the commission began with what looked like a simple question: When a lobbyist gives a city official a gift, what is that gift worth? The question can be [...]
