Ethics Hearing Board

Mission

The mission of the Ethics Hearing Board is to preserve the trust placed in the public servants of the City, to promote public confidence in government, to protect the integrity of government decision making, and to enhance government efficiency.

Departmental/Bureau Overview

The Ethics Hearing Board comprises nine members with reputations of personal integrity and honesty. Designed to be an impartial arm of government, seven of its nine members are selected by community organizations. The Board’s staff includes an Executive Director. The Ethics Hearing Board helps our public servants and those interacting with City government to manage conflicts and avoid ethics problems. Like other municipal ethics agencies, the Ethics Hearing Board accomplishes this goal through advice, education, enforcement, and disclosures. Ethics Board services include: Advice - Fact-specific formal advisory opinions and informal consultations are vital services of the Board. Only the Board’s formal advice (and not private counsel) is a defense from penalties.

Education - Orientation and year-round trainings are an important service of the Board. Board staff also acts to collaborate with departments on policies and procedures.

Disclosures - The Board manages several reports for transparency and accountability: campaign finance, the Statement of Financial Interests (SOFI), the Disclosure of Interests, the Statement of Affiliations, as well as general conflict of interest, employment waivers, and gift disclosures.

Enforcement - Alleged misconduct is first assessed through complaints, preliminary inquiries, investigations, panel meetings, and hearings; then orders or penalties are issued as needed.

2025 Accomplishments

• Legislation: Prepared and refined legislative updates for Q4 submission to Council.
• Advice: Advisory opinion requests remain high, far outpacing comparable agencies. The Board and its staff provide advice to a wide range of covered parties: current and former employees, appointed public officials, affiliated family members, nominees, vendors, candidates, campaign donors, gift donors, and those seeking to engage in financial dealings. The Board’s advice provides clarity and guidance.
• Education: Initiated projects to increase awareness of Ethics Board services. New programming includes participating in new hire orientations, which helps set expectations and demonstrate that our ethical duties are taken seriously. A second new program involves corresponding with separated employees to provide a reminder of ongoing Board services for disclosures and revolving door restrictions. Provided some department-wide trainings, though opportunity for additional outreach and training remains.
• Disclosures: 2025 saw a successful increase in requests for trainings related to SOFI disclosures. The 2025 campaign finance season marked both our first spot-audit and huge increases in spending, posing unique challenges.
• Investigations and Enforcement: Continued efforts to investigate and, when applicable, prosecuted ethics complaints and enforced violations.