Ordinance 2010-349 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

."'T'''ljI . '" Rationale: The purpose behind the Two Year Rule is to guard against former officials or employees from using their influence to receive special or favorable treatment from their former public employers. The goal should be that all parties operate on a level playing field. Those recently separated from government are presumed to have an advantage over others if they are allowed to lobby their former colleagues immediately after they leave government service. This recommendation expands the reach of the Two Year Rule to include lobbying before one's community council and lobbying on behalf of other entities that are seeking a benefit/contract. The government grant process is a competitive one, and many deserving charitable organization compete for limited resources. The commitment to fund a particular agency should not be based on the ability of a former employee to utilize his/her contacts or connections within the public agency to secure benefits for the new employer. 8. Lobbvin2 Section 2-11.1(s) Recommendation: Lobbyists and their principals shall submit to the Clerk a joint affidavit signed by the lobbyist and the principal disclosing the terms and amount of compensation to be paid by each principal to the lobbyist for such lobbying activities. The lobbyist, the lobbyist's firm, employer, or former employer shall be jointly and severally liable if a lobbyist incurs a fine for failing to timely file an expenditure report. Failure by local government officials, officers and employees to make diligent inquiry to insure that person lobbying is properly registered shall constitute a violation and subject that person to a fine. Rationale: The county ethics ordinance specifically outlaws success fees and contingency fees, arrangements which may introduce an element of corruption into the system. The Ethics Commission has no practical method for reviewing the arrangements between lobbyists and principals without disclosures by the parties to the transaction. To enable the Ethics Commission to assure the public that lobbyists are not being paid success fees or contingency fees, the retainer agreement should be provided at the time of registration. Lobbyists are required by the ethics ordinance to file an expenditure report in connection with any expenses associated with their lobbying activities. When lobbyists fail to timely file, they often claim they never received notice from the Clerk and blame the principal or their former employer for not forwarding the notices from the Clerk's Office. In order to rectify this situation, the firm, employer or former employer of the lobbyist ought to be responsible for paying the fines incurred when the lobbyist is not at fault. 11