Great Analysis of Long Branch, NJ Conflict of Interest Issue

A number of articles have appeared recently about a conflict of interest matter with a sewerage authority commission member in Long Branch, New Jersey. While I've been busy pondering if/how I wanted to write about it, Robert Weschler at cityethics.org was even busier writing a far more thorough analysis than I probably would have written. Rather than take away from it to paraphrase, let me simply link you to his piece which you can find here. It's a well-articulated piece and does a great job, I think, of detailing both the significant issues regarding undue influence in this case as well as the other risks of perceived undue influence which, as I seem to write about so often here, can be every bit as damaging to city officials and employees in the eyes of the public.