Former Executive Chamber Official Walks ‘Ethics Tightrope’ in New Private Sector Position

In today’s Times Union, Chris Bragg looks at the ethical challenges that a former Executive Chamber official faces in her new position overseeing the government relations department of an Albany-area hospital.

As the article explains:

“New York’s Public Officers Law bans former government officials from appearing before their old state agencies for two years in a paid capacity. The law also says state employees cannot ever practice, appear before or ever even ‘communicate’ with those agencies on matters over which they were ‘directly concerned’ during their state employment, or which were under their “active consideration.”

But because she served in the Executive Chamber, her two-year ban applies to all Executive branch state entities.

This article is a good reminder that anyone who is considering leaving state service for a position in which they may have contacts with their prior state employers should (a) consult JCOPE’s Guide to Leaving State Service before doing so, and (b) understand the 30-day rule.