AUGUST 1999 |
Press Release: Vermont Public Service
Awards, August 4, 1999 |
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Thuy Nguyen (802-828-2148) ______________________________________________________________________________ Vermont Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz will be kicking off the Vermont Public Service Award program in Orleans County during the second week of September. This program is designed to encourage civic participation by honoring those individuals who have served in local office for 20 or more years. Thanks to the extraordinary help of the Town Clerks in Orleans County the Secretary of State’s Office has already identified over 60 honorees! However, in order to ensure that no deserving local officials are left out, the Secretary of State encourages you to contact her office or your local Town Clerk if you know of any qualifying individuals in your town. To qualify for the Vermont Public Service Award an individual must have served as a local official for 20 or more years. The individual need not currently be in office. Submissions must be received by Monday, August 16, 1999. For more information, please call 1-800-439-8683. #30 |
| PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Thuy Nguyen (802-828-2148) ______________________________________________________________________________ Secretary Markowitz and Ethics Task
Force Committee On Thursday, August 12, 1999, Secretary Deborah Markowitz and the Task Force on Ethics will hold a press conference to unveil the committee’s final report and proposals. The members have met in the past six months to consider the ethical issues that arise in local government and to develop a legislative proposal designed to enable communities to prevent ethical problems in their towns. The press conference will be at 11 AM at the Secretary of State’s Office in Redstone Building, 26 Terrace Street, Montpelier. Members of the Task Force will be on hand to answer questions. The task force members are Paul Gillies, Esquire, Chair
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| Press Release
Contact: Thuy (Twee) Nguyen For Immediate Release Task Force Calls For Local Control Of Ethics Ethics Task Force Report Released Calling it a "blueprint for local control of ethics," Secretary of State Deb Markowitz today released a report of the Ethics Task Force. The Ethics Task Force, convened by Markowitz to study issues of ethics in local government, is chaired by attorney Paul Gillies, and is made up of a diverse group of Vermonters including local officials, common cause and the Chair of the Vermont League of Cities And Towns Board of Directors. Attorney Paul Gillies said "I am proud to say that this final report reflects a consensus of the members of the task force, representing six months of hard work." He said "the report identifies challenges facing our local officials and presents solutions to enable our towns and cities to address their own ethical problems without Montpelier looking over their shoulders." Secretary Markowitz said "right now the only way a town can adopt binding ethical standards is by asking the legislature for a charter change. We need local control of ethics." "In some communities," said Gillies, citizens are scared away from public service because there are no clear ethical guidelines. In other communities the voters believe no ethical rules are necessary." Gillies said "towns should be able to decide for themselves what they want to do. Right now the law does not permit that." The Ethics Task Force Report makes three recommendations:
Gillies said, "it addition to allowing our towns to adopt ethical standards, the task force felt that towns should be able to appoint or elect a board of alternates to ensure that when an official steps down because of a conflict of interest the public business will not suffer. Having alternates available to temporarily step in for the purpose of the particular decision or action will ensure that our decisions are made by a full quorum of the board." Gillies said, "we also ask the Secretary of State to compile and make available sample ethics policies, and to offer education programs and pamphlets relating to conflict of interest." Markowitz said "in the coming months I will be taking this report around the state to get feedback on the Task Force’s proposals." I am looking forward to hearing what the citizens of Vermont have to say."
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