'Boot Camp' Teaches City Officials About Ethics

Ethics specialists wearing "moral compasses" as necklaces spent two days taking elected officials from Florida, Texas, and Arizona through various exercises in ethical governance.

1 minute read

July 5, 2006, 8:00 AM PDT

By Alex Pearlstein


"Billed as the first of its kind boot camp for municipal ethics, the two-day gathering here at Santa Clara University on June 21 and 22 could become a model, some experts say. It would serve as a way for local elected officials, academics, and ethics commissioners to prepare for ethical dilemmas that officials deal with in office."

"Instead of an intellectual exercise, organizers hoped to create an 'experiential' component to help participants create real change in their cities. They took a silent walk to the local church mission to reflect on their values and goals."

"Public officials also tried to imagine how they would feel about seeing their own names in newspaper stories under real-life headlines: 'Citizen group to impeach mayor'; 'Attorneys sue city and council members.'"

Thursday, June 29, 2006 in The Christian Science Monitor

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

MARTA bus with Atlanta skyline in background

Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access

MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.

45 minutes ago - Mass Transit

Tall modern condo buildings on both sides of CN Tower rising in middle.

Toronto Condo Sales Drop 75%

In two of Canada’s most expensive cities, more condos were built than ever — and sales are plummeting.

1 hour ago - Financial Post

Two people walking away from camera through pedestrian plaza in street in Richmond, Virginia with purple and white city bus moving in background.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA

The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

2 hours ago - WRIC