Posts Tagged ‘ethics’

You’ve Won Your Election – Time for Ethics Training!

Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

Elections are over, TV ads are back to normal, and mail boxes are no longer full of campaign flyers. Ballots have been counted, results certified, and oaths of office taken. Among the other duties and obligations required of newly elected and reelected local government officials is that they participate in mandatory ethics training. If you […]

New Ethics Requirements for Local Transportation Planning Organizations – Round 2

Friday, June 28th, 2013

During the 2012 short session, the General Assembly enacted legislation that covered members of local transportation planning groups, known as RPOs and MPOs, under the State Government Ethics Act (GS Chapter 138A), the same ethics laws that apply to many state officials (for more about MPO’s and RPO’s and last year’s legislation, see this previous […]

Candidates and Conflicts of Interest – What Happens If You Win?

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

You want to run for city council, but you or your company has a contract with the city (or maybe you want to run to be a county commissioner and the contract is with the county).  Can you be a candidate for election?  What happens if you win?  Sure, you can run.  The conflict of […]

State Ethics and Lobbying Laws – When Do They Apply to Local Government Lobbying?

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Two related chapters in the North Carolina General Statutes govern the spending of money to influence state officials.  The State Government Ethics Act (G.S. Chapter 138A) sets ethical standards for the state officials themselves, and the lobbying laws (G.S. Chapter 120C) govern interactions between these officials and those who seek to influence their decision-making – in […]

Taking (Personal) Advantage of Public Contracts

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Carolina County has just awarded a contract for uPad tablet computers. Bill Goats, the purchasing officer for Carolina County, is having lunch with his friend in the public works department, Steve Jabs. Bill mentions the contract to Steve. “My daughter won’t stop talking about those uPads,” Steve says. “She really wants one.”  “Yeah, my son […]

Conflicts of Interest and Subcontractors

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

One of your city council members, Georgia Peach, is a plumber, and owns her own plumbing business, Peaches & Plumbs, LLP.  Peaches & Plumbs often subcontracts with one of the bigger and more reputable general contractors in town, Constructive Construction, Inc.  Your city is getting ready to renovate the town hall, and, as it turns […]

What’s a “Public Office”?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

What’s a “Public Office”? I am often asked to explain what it means to hold a public office. The questioner is sometimes trying to decide whether a particular person must take an oath, which is required of public office-holders.  Or, the person may be trying to determine whether certain positions may be held simultaneously under North Carolina’s […]

Federal Grants and Codes of Conduct

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

As I mentioned in my post last week, the Grants Management Common Rule (which applies to all federal grants) requires entities that receive federal grants to establish a “code of conduct.”  This post will address what the Rule says about what the code of conduct must include.