A proposal to reenvision the city’s ethics commission as an independent entity appears to be on ice at the Charter Review Commission after a motion to form a working group to look into the issue failed without any support. Commissioner Betsy Greenberg, who made the motion to form an ethics commission working group, presented her […]
City of Austin Ethics Review Commission
The Ethics Review Commission is charged with review of, among other issues, ethics complaints leveled against City of Austin boards and commission members. They meet quarterly.
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Review Commission dismisses complaint against former parks board member
The Ethics Review Commission dismissed a complaint against former Parks and Recreation Board Member Nina Rinaldi after a two-and-a-half-hour preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Commissioners voted 4-5 to move to a final hearing, which required majority support of the 11-member body. Scott Cobb, a city lifeguard, filed a complaint in June claiming that Rinaldi had violated […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission reprimands Velásquez
City Council Member Jose Velásquez has been found to be in violation of city code by the Ethics Review Commission, which voted Wednesday to issue a letter of admonition over failures to identify income and board tenure. Following Velásquez’s recusal on the Borden Dairy rezoning due to his ties with that project’s development partner, East […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Review Commission OKs pandemic-era changes to lobbying ordinance
The Ethics Review Commission last week voted unanimously to recommend changes to the city’s lobbying rules. The rules ensure phone calls and video conferences are properly recorded as appearances before a city official. The changes to City Code Chapter 4-8 concerning the regulation of lobbyists first came before the commission at its regular meeting in […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission dismisses complaints over Zilker Park votes
The Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan continues to generate controversy. This week, accusations about the motivations of two of the plan’s supporters came before the Ethics Review Commission. In April, Austinite Teri Adams filed two complaints with the Ethics Review Commission. One was against Hanna Cofer, a member of the Environmental Commission and chief operating […]
Posted inCity Hall
Changes to city lobbying rules OK’d by Ethics Review Commission
The Ethics Review Commission has given its OK to a series of amendments to the city’s lobbying regulations. The changes are set to be voted on by City Council on March 23. The city clerk’s office suggested them to clarify requirements and processes regarding lobbyists’ registration and renewal fees and quarterly activity reports, as well […]
Posted inElections
Ethics commission sends Ellis letter on campaign finance violations
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has issued a letter of notification to City Council Member Paige Ellis, documenting a handful of campaign contributions that exceeded campaign finance rules and were not returned to donors in a timely fashion. Last week the commission held its initial hearing on a complaint brought by Doug Keenan, a resident […]
Posted inElections
Ethics commission notifies D8 candidate of campaign materials violation
The Ethics Review Commission will file a letter of notification for a City Council candidate who neglected to put required disclaimers on some of his campaign materials. At last week’s meeting, the commission held the preliminary hearing for the complaint by one-time Texas House candidate Julie Oliver against Richard Smith, who is running for the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission shelves lobbying complaint against Austin Pets Alive! employee
The Ethics Review Commission has opted not to move forward with a lobbying complaint against a member of the city’s Animal Advisory Commission who also works in a governmental affairs job for Austin Pets Alive. Last week the ethics commission voted 4-4 on a motion that would have forwarded to the city attorney the complaint […]
Posted inCity Council
Ethics commission dismisses complaint over Adler’s real estate disclosures
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has voted to dismiss a complaint against Mayor Steve Adler related to information disclosed on personal financial forms about his real estate holdings in recent years. The complaint, brought by former real estate broker Loree Misch, centered on forms completed between 2018 and 2020 by Adler and his wife Diane […]
Posted inCity Hall
Rodriguez pleads guilty to misuse of federal funds, falsifying records
Frank Rodriguez, who served as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Steve Adler beginning in 2015, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to misapply federal funds and falsifying records “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence an investigation into a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States.” According to a statement […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission wants to make it easier to file complaints
At its monthly meeting Wednesday night, the Ethics Review Commission discussed a number of moving pieces it has in the works, including an easier-to-navigate complaint form for reporting suspected ethics violations, and a media piece explaining the commission’s function to the public. The 11 members of the commission, who are appointed by City Council, hear and […]