GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
BOARD OF ETHICS AND GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
Office of Government Ethics
Darrin P. Sobin, Director
Ashley D. Cooks, Attorney
Volume 3
Issue 6
June 2016
Ethically Speaking
The BEGA/OGE Newsletter
Message from the Director ―
Training, training and more ethics training.
I am very pleased to announce that BEGA Attorney Ashley Cooks has agreed to take over as our lead with respect to District Government Ethics Training, one of BEGA’s core functions. Ms. Cooks has some great ideas that include creating a professionally produced ethics training short that will air on the D.C. Government Television Network (already in the works), online training modules and additional specialized in-person training programs on cutting edge topics such as social media.
What I am most excited about, though, is the establishment of District Government Ethics Day. As currently envisioned, Ethics Day will take place at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law on an annual basis. This full day of training programs, seminars and discussions will culminate with our annual Best Practices Ethics Symposium in the evening. As you know, the Symposium is our yearly meeting that helps to inform the content of the year-end Ethics Best Practices report that is submitted to the Mayor and to the Council in December.
While Ethics Day will be open to all officials and employees of the District government, special consideration will be given to Agency Ethics Counselors. We are looking toward a date in mid-October, so stay tuned . . .
Regards,
- Darrin P. Sobin, Director of Government Ethics
BEGA Happenings ―
OGE welcomes its newest Attorney Advisor, Rudy Chounoune. Mr. Chounoune brings a wealth of experience, including a judicial clerkship and civil litigation experience.
Upcoming Events ―
June 29th, 5:30-7:30 p.m. - Boards and Commissions Training - Wilson Building,1st floor
Ethics In the News ―
Federal Boss in Hot Water After Forcing Government Workers to Sandbag House Read more
Alabama Public Official Takes the Stand to Defend Against Ethics Charges Read more
Alexandria City Council Agrees to a Watered Down Ethics Code Read more
Judge Delays Order for Federal Prosecutors to Take Ethics Course Read more
Good to Know – Hatch Act-
Post-Employment – A former-government employee is permanently prohibited from communicating with a District agency with the intent to influence regarding a particular government matter, involving a specific party, if the employee participated personally and substantially in that matter as a government employee.
Dispositions ― An employee agreed to pay a $2,500 fine and attend ethics training, after having misused government vehicles. View Details
If you have any questions, we can be reached at 202-481-3411, or through our website at www.bega-dc.gov