The Trenton Times published the following article on November 16, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Ethics board passes code for Trenton employees, officials
By Jenna Pizzi/The Times of Trenton
on November 16, 2013 at 7:10 AMTRENTON — The city’s ethics board passed Trenton’s first code of ethics at their meeting this week.
The code outlines provisions for elected officials, city employees and representatives on city boards and how they should conduct themselves.
The panel was requested by residents last year following the FBI’s investigation into Trenton Mayor Tony Mack and his subsequent indictment on federal corruption charges. Residents said closer monitoring of city employees and officials was necessary to prevent corrupt practices.
Consequently, the city’s first ethics panel was established earlier this year. Although Trenton is nonpartisan, the board is comprised of three Democrats, two Republicans and one Independent, who are appointed by a committee of council members.
The code of ethics, adopted by board members on Wednesday, says that a government office should not have any business interest that conflicts with their duties. The code also says that officials or employees should not use their position to receive special privileges or advantages for themselves or others and they should not accept any gift, favor, loan, contribution, service, promise or anything else of value in return for the direct or indirect discharge of their official duties.