Vt. Secretary of State Calls for Ethics Commission

Condos says his office has no authority to investigate or enforce against such problems

Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos is calling for the establishment of a state ethics commission to review complaints about conflicts of interest, the ethics of public officials and financial disclosures.

Condos issued an opinion column on Wednesday saying his office gets calls almost every week about municipal officials, alleging conflicts of interest and other ethically suspect actions.

He says his office has no authority to investigate or enforce against such problems, and the people complaining often ended up feeling frustrated and increasingly cynical.

Condos, who is in his third two-year term as secretary of state, says that along with an ethics commission, the Legislature should pass a clear law describing what constitutes unethical behavior in areas of ethics and conflicts of interest.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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