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The Top Ten Rules Municipal Employees Need to Know About the Conflict of Interest Law

10. Whether elected or appointed, paid or unpaid, part-time or full-time, you are a municipal employee subject to the conflict of interest law - even "consultants" may be considered municipal employees.

9. Don't accept bribes (don't sell or trade your official actions).

8. Don't accept meals, tickets or gifts from anyone to thank or reward you for any official action you have taken or may take or to influence you in any official action.

7. Be loyal to the municipality:

• Don't accept money from or represent anyone other than the municipality for work involving the municipality.
• Don't accept paid, private work that is incompatible with your public position and duties.
• Don't improperly disclose or use confidential information that you obtained as a municipal employee.

6. Don't use your official position to get special benefits for yourself or anyone else that are not available to the general public.

5.Don't create appearances of conflicts of interest: Publicly disclose significant relationships or circumstances that might cause a reasonable person to think that you might be unfair or biased in your official actions.

4. Don't act on any matter affecting your own financial interests or those of family members, partners or organizations with which you have a private relationship.

3. Don't double dip. Don't accept an additional (even unpaid) municipal position before seeking legal advice.

2. After you leave municipal service:

• Don't accept money from or represent anyone other than the municipality if the private work involves a matter that you participated in or worked on as a municipal employee.
• Strictly observe the one-year "cooling off" rule: Don't represent or appear before municipal agencies for a private party on matters that were under your "official responsibility" when you were a municipal employee.

AND THE NUMBER ONE RULE IS . . .

Get Advice!

Most of these rules have exceptions. Some are simple; some are not.
Free legal advice is readily available from your municipal counsel or the

State Ethics Commission
(617-371-9500).