Monday, August 06, 2012

It's time for the city council to vote on an ethics commission.

As of this morning, the agenda for tonight's meeting has yet to appear in its usual web site niche, where it is filed under the city clerk, not the city council itself.

Only a few short years ago, when the council was populated (and the city stifled) by the Gang of Four, an ethics motion would have been surreal, at best. One imagines King Larry in his polling place of a garage, thinking back to the good ol' vote rigging days, and feeling the hairs in his ears quiver ... although on second thought, that's the sensation that grips him when well-endowed male cyclists cruise past the house.

The newspaper provides further background here.

Gonder’s ethics commission proposal comes to New Albany council; Area agencies would designate members of the body, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

NEW ALBANY — After months of preparation, New Albany City Councilman John Gonder will bring his proposal to the table for the establishment of an inaugural ethics commission for a vote Monday night.

If approved, the ethics commission would differ from the human rights commission founded last month by the council in that it would focus only on government affairs such as contracts and public employee and official practices.

The ordinance — which is set for two ballots Monday but will require three readings before passage — was initially slated to be voted on last month but was tabled.

Along with tightening some of the language in the measure, the ordinance has also changed in terms of who will serve on the board.

The executive director of Rauch Industries, the president of the Floyd County Bar Association, the New Albany postmaster and the executive director of Hope Southern Indiana will still designate four of the members of the body.

But Gonder changed the measure so that the president of the local NAACP chapter can appoint the fifth member of the commission. Initially, the first four appointees were to select the fifth member.

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