In today’s episode, I address one of my pet peeves: The sloppy and promiscuous use of the term “conflict of interest” as applied to municipal officials. This most recently came to my attention during the fracas about funding options for the Safety Center.
MP3 Audio:
Conflicts of Interest: Real or Bogus?
Show Notes/Resources:
City of Northfield
- Northfield Code of Ethics (Municode)
- The City’s annual ethics disclosure form (PDF)
State of Minnesota
- MN Stat. 469.003 sub 6
- House Research Information Brief, Compatibility of Offices (PDF)
League of Minnesota Cities
- Conflict of Interest (PDF), handout from the 2012 Leadership Conference for Newly Elected Officials.
- Official Conflict of Interest (PDF), general principles of various conflict of interest laws including prohibited gifts, statements of economic interest, conflict of interest in contracting, non-contractual conflict of interest, incompatibility of office. Includes model forms.
- Additional resource – Handbook for Minnesota Cities, ch. 8, City Administrative Staff (PDF)
“Think Twice” airs Wednesdays at 6:00pm. Tune in to KYMN 1080 AM, or listen to their live stream by clicking the “Listen Live” link on the KYMN website.
