ETHICS TRAINING...IT'S A GOOD THING!
Good news for all town officials and residents! There have been some changes in the Conflict of Interest Law which all public employees are subject to; the State has mandated that each public official read the information on the website; take the "test" and certify with the Town Clerk that they have complied with this requirement. This IS good news for us, and for you. It can be a daunting task to keep up with the Law, but it is a requirment and now there is much more accountability for compliance. I have completed the training from the Ethics website, (see the text of my certificate below) and I hope every public official does the same. Accountability, ethics and knowledge, what more can you ask of your public officials?
The new Conflict of Interest Law becomes effective Sept 29, 2009. Within 30 days of that, each government member (elected, appointed, volunteer) must:
· Certify with the town clerk that they have received a copy of the new Conflict of Interest law
· Take training from the State Ethics web site, and certify with the clerk.
· Town must appoint a senior level employee to become the liaison with the State Ethic Commission.
STATE ETHICS COMMISSION RECEIPT
Conflict of Interest Law Online Training Program
was completed by: Alexander S McCurdy on Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thank you for completing the State Ethics Commission’s online training program.
It is important to keep in mind that information provided in the online training
program is general in nature and is not an exhaustive review of the conflict of
interest law. The Commission staff also regularly offers free educational seminars
at its Boston office, Room 619, One Ashburton Place. Please contact the
Commission at 617-371-9500 if you are interested in attending one of these
sessions or sponsoring an educational seminar at your facility.
The State Ethics Commission provides free, confidential legal advice about how the
law applies in a particular situation. We encourage you to seek legal advice from
the Commission at 617-371-9500 and/or your agency’s legal counsel if you face a
potential conflict of interest. Your agency may have additional restrictions which
regulate your conduct.
For additional information about the Ethics Commission and the conflict of interest
law, please visit www.mass.gov/ethics.
Educational material about the application of the conflict of interest law can be
found at http://www.mass.gov/ethics/educational_materials.html
A summary of the conflict of interest law can be found in The Top Ten Rules State
Employees Need to Know About the Conflict of Interest Law.
It really is a good thing!
posted by Alex McCurdy at
6:09 PM
2 Comments:
I took the State Ethics Test this month also.
I made my first error when 70% completed (my wrong answer was the better answer I think).
After my wrong answer the program would only accept a "back" key, so I could "re-answer", until I got it right.
So everyone gets 100%, everyone gets a pass, how Massachusetts like.
The public is interested in an improvement in ethics, the proof is in the eating.
Hello Henry - I think the idea is to get those taking the so-called test to a point of better understanding rather than a test score. Every day well meaning public officials act in a manner contrary to the law. Each tool we can provide to keep them within the law is important. This is one reason that the Board of Selectmen created the Code of cCnduct and Ethics. Its intent was not to be simply an enforcement tool, but a one stop, (so to speak) guide that keeps officials on track and provides the public with a tool for accountability of their officials. I find it incredible that some of our elected officials would choose not to adopt this very common sense and easy to understand approach to the somewhat challenging state level laws.
Thanks for your comment!
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