Erie County is closer to some basic changes in the county's ethics law, to clarify the powers of the Board of Ethics and give it some flexibility on the disclosure forms the law already requires.
The plan is so non-controversial that no member of the public showed up for a recent public hearing on the local law. Board Chair Steven Schwartz says the 26-year old law needs to be clarified on some basic issues. One question for, for example, "If you leave the county payroll, do you still have to fill out the forms?"
Schwartz provided a hypothetical answer.
"I'm no longer working for the county today. Oh, but you did work for the county in 2014. But, I'm not working today. Well, but you were and we're asking for what happened in 2014 since the public has a right to know whether or not there was any potential conflicts of interest. So, that kind of dispute comes out. So, we have to follow it up and we have to explain it. This way is really very interesting and there is no dispute," Schwartz said.
Even the form is a problem since the 1989 law included the form and the board has made few changes on it, although it does now require an e-mail address. Legislator Kevin Hardwick says his Government Affairs Committee moved the plan along because it was so obviously needed.
