Public Sector Roundtable

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.

• October 14, 2011 Roundtable: Fairness and the California Redistricting Process
• August 19, 2011 Roundtable: Budgeting in Tough Economic Times
• March 18, 2011 Roundtable: New Unavoidable Ethical Dilemmas for Elected Officials
• Oct. 8, 2010 Roundtable: Sponsored Legislation
• August 6, 2010 Roundtable: Government Pensions
• May 21, 2010 Roundtable: Deep Pockets
• February 26, 2010 Roundtable: Gifts
• November 20, 2009 Roundtable: Social Media
• August 10, 2009 Roundtable: Conflicts of Interest