More than four years after Phoenix’s mayor formed a task force to evaluate ethics rules, council members approved creating a commission to review complaints against them. The move comes after a controversy involving one council member.
Fifteen months ago, Phoenix’s city manager canceled the sale of city-owned land after a developer accused Councilman Michael Nowakowski of not disclosing a conflict of interest related to the deal. He denied wrongdoing and an investigation by an outside law firm determined Nowakowski violated no conflict of interest laws.
The city’s new ethics commission will be made of up two Democrats, two Republicans and one independent. Council members will select commissioners and also have the authority to uphold or reject their recommendations. If the commission recommends imposing sanctions, seven of the nine council members must approve.
