Editorial: Be Consistent on Conflict-of-Interest Enforcement
Conflict-of-interest rules are a part of the backbone of public works, eliminating potential corruption, holding down costs and helping to keep up public support. When public-works agencies stand by those rules, everyone benefits. The dispute and uproar over the light-rail extension project in Minneapolis is a good test of the significance of such rules, especially because, in this case, written rules were treated too casually.
Now, a long-planned transportation project is delayed, frustrating area commuters and giving the project’s skeptics in the state Legislature more topics to explore.