Posted on 09/26/2004 7:39:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
As one of the broadest probes of wrongdoing in the history of San Jose government begins, ethical and legal scholars are questioning if the independent investigator assigned by the city to conduct the inquiry is fit to do so -- especially if it means looking into the actions of City Attorney Rick Doyle.
Doyle's office has paid the outside investigator -- San Francisco law firm Hanson Bridgett -- more than $174,000 over the past four years to examine ethics complaints filed with the city. The council last week chose the firm to investigate whether the mayor, city manager, Doyle or any council member acted inappropriately in San Jose's bungled $8 million deal to install Cisco Systems information-technology equipment in the new downtown City Hall.
While the city officials being scrutinized say the relationship does not constitute a conflict, many outside San Jose see it differently.
``The investigator should not have any ties at all to the principals being investigated. That's Ethics 101,'' said Bill Allison, spokesman for the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., which tracks government ethics issues. ``You would think San Jose would want to avoid at least the appearance of a conflict.''
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Did Rick Doyle use the same ethics committee as consultants that CBS did ?
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