An
investigative article in Sunday's Albany Times-Union looks at
the local government ethics programs in 78 local governments in four
New York counties. What it found is sadly typical in most states.
What it found was that at least 30 of the governments had not updated their ethics laws since the early 1970s, when government ethics was in its infancy. Almost half of the governments had no ethics board, and where ethics boards are required, many have never held a meeting or they include elected officials among their members. The Albany County attorney said that he has worked for the city for six years and "I don't see anything that shows me [the ethics board has] existed since I've been here." In some towns, the town board is the ethics board. Apparently, no one has considered this a serious conflict of interest.
What it found was that at least 30 of the governments had not updated their ethics laws since the early 1970s, when government ethics was in its infancy. Almost half of the governments had no ethics board, and where ethics boards are required, many have never held a meeting or they include elected officials among their members. The Albany County attorney said that he has worked for the city for six years and "I don't see anything that shows me [the ethics board has] existed since I've been here." In some towns, the town board is the ethics board. Apparently, no one has considered this a serious conflict of interest.