City council members receive lessons on conduct, ethics laws

EVANSTON — The work session of the Evanston City Council held on Tuesday, Feb. 28, was a time for education and review of the laws concerning the ethical conduct of elected officials and proposed rules of procedure and order presented by Municipal Judge Mark Harris and City Attorney Amanda Kirby.

Judge Harris addressed the council and the members of the public present and said, “Amanda asked me to come tonight and go over the laws concerning ethics and civility. A lack of civility and abuse of ethics seems to be a problem across the nation. Why is a knowledge of ethics law and civility important? I just read in the Casper Star Tribune that Sen. Anthony Bouchard is being investigated for calling a member of the public ‘a [expletive] idiot.’ That is why it is important that we talk about ethics.”