NY Town Uses "Ethics" Code to Silence Dissenting Board Members

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Officials in Greenburgh, NY, have come up with a curious way to gag board members – the town’s ethics code. New ethics rules make it a violation to release any information on negotiations for real estate, services or contracts, “to which the public may be denied access” under the state’s Freedom of Information Law. Penalties ranging from a fine to removal from office. The state director of the Committee on Open Government says the new rule “doesn’t make a lot of sense.” (7/23/07)