Markkula Center of Applied Ethics

Ethics Roundtable for Locally Elected Officials

Next Meeting
November 20, noon-2 p.m.
Wiegand Room, Arts and Sciences Building
Santa Clara University

Topic: The role of social media, such as email, Twitter, Facebook, blogs and similar ways of communicating, in government. Are they a benefit to the elected officials or a threat to open government? How does the advent of these new media impact record retention, public disclosure laws, and the Brown Act? Should we worry about equal access and
fairness since not all constituents have access to the new technology? What are the ethical dilemmas presented by Web 2.0?

Guest representative from the city of Seattle, which has recently drafted a policy covering the use of social media by city councilmembers

RSVP to jnadler@scu.edu by email no later than Friday November 13.

Recognizing that these are among the most challenging times for local government, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics has developed a quarterly Ethics Roundtable for Locally Elected and Appointed Officials. The roundtable brings officeholders together to discuss emerging ethical issues in the conduct of public business. Participants come from city, county, and state government, as well as special districts and ethics commissions.

Each session focuses on an issue confronting local politicians. Top-caliber presentations and practical case studies highlight these discussions in all areas of local government including effectively representing constituents, creating successful working relationships, crisis management, and media relations. The sessions also feature an ethics check-in, which allows participants to share the current ethical issues facing their locality. These then become topics for future roundtable meetings.

The Ethics Roundtable is convened by Judy Nadler, senior fellow in government ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and former mayor of the city of Santa Clara, Calif.

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The views expressed on this site are the author's. The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics does not advocate particular positions but seeks to encourage dialogue on the ethical dimensions of current issues. The Center welcomes comments and alternative points of view.
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