For more information, contact:
Ohio Ethics Commission
(614) 466-7090

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ETHICS COMMISSION CONTINUES LEADERSHIP

At their meeting on January 28, 2005, the members of the Ohio Ethics Commission unanimously re-elected Merom Brachman, of Bexley, Ohio, as Chairman, and Sarah M. Brown of Alliance, Ohio, as the Commission's Vice-Chair for 2005.

Among actions taken, the Commission adopted an advisory opinion requested on behalf of a City Council member who has taken employment with an engineering firm, regarding matters that may affect clients of the firm. The Commission advised that a Council Member is prohibited from participating in any matter before the city affecting a client of the engineering firm where the firm has provided or is likely to provide any services to the client on the matter. The Commission also determined that as long as the engineering firm has not provided, and does not anticipate providing, services to a client on a matter before the city, the council member would not be barred from participating.

The Ohio Ethics Commission has administered the Ethics Law since 1973, including giving many advisory opinions to public officials and employees, applicable to those in similar circumstances, to help protect against conflicts of interest in doing public business. The Commission is the state authority that interprets and enforces the Ethics Law for all Ohio public officials and employees, outside of those in the Legislative and Judicial branches who are subject to their respective ethics agencies.

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