Press Release & Disposition (mayor's Office)

CITY OF NEW YORK CONFLICTS OF INTEREST BOARD 2 Lafayette Street, Suite 1010 New York, New York 10007 (212) 442-1400 Fax: (212) 442-1407 TDD: (212) 442-1443

Steven B. Rosenfeld Chair/Board Member Monica Blum Board Member Kevin B. Frawley Board Member Angela Mariana Freyre Board Member Andrew Irving Board Member ____________ Mark Davies Executive Director Wayne G. Hawley Deputy Executive Director & General Counsel Carolyn Lisa Miller Director of Enforcement Julia Davis Special Counsel & Director of Financial Disclosure Alex Kipp Director of Training & Education Ute O’Malley Director of Administration Derick Yu Director of Information Technology

March 10, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF STATE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS FINED $12,000 FOR APPEARING BEFORE THE MAYOR’S OFFICE WITHIN ONE YEAR OF LEAVING CITY SERVICE. The New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (the “Board”) has concluded a settlement imposing a $12,000 fine against a former Director of the Mayor’s Office of State Legislative Affairs (“SLA”) for making compensated appearances before the Mayor’s Office within one year of leaving City service, in violation of Chapter 68 of the New York City Charter. After leaving City service, the former Director was employed as a partner at a law firm. The former Director acknowledged that during the first year after he left SLA he sent numerous e-mails to various public servants in the Mayor’s Office concerning a number of items of pending or prospective legislation of interest to several clients of his law firm. The former Director acknowledged that his conduct violated the City of New York’s conflicts of interest law, which prohibits a public servant from appearing before the City agency served by the public servant within a period of one year after leaving City service. A copy of the disposition is attached. The Board took the occasion of this Disposition to remind public servants that they are prohibited from appearing on behalf of their new employer before their former agency─ which includes by phone, letter, e-mail, or in person─ within one year of terminating their service with the City. Public servants who have any questions about the City’s conflicts of interest law are urged to contact the Board, which can be reached at (212) 442-1400. The Conflicts of Interest Board is the City’s ethics board and is responsible for enforcing Chapter 68 of the New York City Charter, the City’s conflicts of interest law. The Board is composed of five members, appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council. Board penalties are civil fines. Visit our home page at http://nyc.gov/ethics

Vanessa Legagneur, Associate Counsel, handled this case for the Board. The Board gratefully acknowledges the work of its confidential investigative arm, the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn, and Marjorie Landa, DOI Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs & General Counsel; Michael Sarner, Director of the DOI Lobbying Law Unit; and Alexander M. Dillon, DOI Special Investigator, who conducted the investigation. The Board does not comment on Board dispositions, except as set forth above. For copies of any additional public documents, e-mail [email protected].