Ethics Articles

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The Influence of Partisan Politics on Government

The Public Sector Roundtable hosts former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards

View From Sacramento

Materials from a meeting of the Public Sector Roundtable on how state and local government can work together

Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Government Service

Questions that public officials should ask before making a decision
Joe Simitian and Judy Nadler

How the State Legislature Impacts Local Government

How empathy can help state and local legislators work together more effectively
Joe Simitian and Judy Nadler

Ethical Challenges in the City Manager/City Councilmember Relationship

Three scenarios depicting typical ethical issues that arise between councilmembers and managers
Frank Benest

Effective Council/Manager Relations

Materials from a meeting of the Pubic Sector Roundtable
city manager, city council

Do's and Don'ts for City Managers and City Councilmembers

Advice for new city officials from an advisor to the International City/County Management Association
Frank Benest

Ten New Rules for Elected Officials in Times of Economic Meltdown

Senior adviser to the International City/County Management Association advises public servants to focus on the core.
Frank Benest

Old Guard vs. New Guard

A dynamic new city manager comes into conflict with the previous city manager, now elected to the city council. One policy they disagree about: the need for a city code of ethics and values.
Judy Nadler

Handling Council Critics

Does incivility violate a city's code of ethics?
Jason Wu

Personal Lives of Public Officials

Ethical issues at the boundary between a politician's personal and public behavior
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

Civility

An introduction to the ethical issues for public officials.
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

Civil Disagreement

A case exploring the limits of public debate
Judy Nadler

Name Calling on the Council

When the mayor and a councilmember disagree vociferously, is it unacceptable conduct or just the normal rough and tumble of politics?
Judy Nadler

Councilmember and the Manager

A city councilmember must decide if he can impartially review the performance of the city manager.
Judy Nadler

Relationships Between Elected Officials and Staff

An introduction to the ethical issues that arise between city or county staff and councilmembers or supervisors.
Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman

The Case of the Extra Mile

Ethics case addressing the work-life balance for public employees.
Kirk O. Hanson

The Case of the Mangled Data

Ethics case addressing the responsibility of public employees to provide accurate information.
Kirk O. Hanson

The Mayor and the Manager

A case exploring the proper relationship between city councilmembers and city staff.
Judy Nadler

Sex in the City

Is an elected official's personal life legitimately "private"?
Judy Nadler