1998 Survey of Ethics in Land-Use Planning

Beginning from the premise that 1998 saw an increase in the number of land-use ethics cases, this Article describes the issues and problems that relate to ethics in land-use cases by breaking them into four separate categories: conflicts of interest, compatibility of office, bias and prejudgment, and miscellaneous. The conflicts of interest section describes cases involving financial gain for oneself, a family member or a business associate. The compatibility of office section describes situations where a person holds multiple public offices and the conflicts in duty that might arise. The bias and prejudgment section describes situations where a person's predetermined position on a matter may disqualify individuals from making land-use decisions.

Finally, the miscellaneous section deals with the issues of clients of governmental lawyers, the resignation of a local position as part of a state ethics agreement, and appearances by a governing body of a municipality before a zoning board.