2005-10-12 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular mc

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CHAIR: I know I agree with that. I don't know about, if we need—there's still a glitch, there's still a glitch, though, because you're reading into it, it doesn't clearly state that in the law right now, and so we do need to clean that up. That's a piece of staff work we need to do. BLT: And that amendment —and Mr. Frankel has spurred my recollection —there was a specific amendment in the gift disclosure to include the spouse or dependent child, but that change was not put in the financial disclosure. So that's why I'm saying that it's a little more complicated, because you have —when you have language in one section that is not in another section, you have to assume that the people who enacted the law had a reason for not having that same language, and that's why I'm saying I think it requires a little bit more research and taking a look at it. CHAIR: Any discussion on that one point alone, that should be the case. Wife should be on there too KK: - -what about siblings? CHAIR: For example, if you're running for—siblings? KK: Do you include siblings, because siblings would be in the same- FRANKEL: - -No, I don't think siblings. Dependent children you would, but not siblings. KK: But they could have an impact, too, FRANKEL: Well, again there's a difference between the policy of whether that should be what the law requires. I don't believe the law requires siblings. KK: No, no, I'm not saying. I'm asking you, you would include siblings, too, since you're a liberal interpreter of the law FRANKEL: - -I don't think so. You know, I can think of certain circumstances where, you know, my brother's doing something and that should be disclosed, but on the other hand, a lot of brothers don't like each other, you know. I don't know. I don't think so, because you don't know enough about your brother or sister's financial interests, and let's say you decide to run for County Council. I don't think that means your brother has to disclose his financial information. The connections aren't —you know, you don't have a joint checking account. BLT: Mr. Chairman, if I can interject. I do know that on the Council, although it may not be filed as part of a financial disclosure, that council members have regularly, when—because there is a requirement that they have to disclose potential conflicts of interest, when they've had some matter in front of them that might impact a spouse, a wifea spouse, wife child, that they have declared that, like voting on HGEA pay raises, and people disclose the fact that they had a spouse 23