The Town Board of the Town of Ghent recognizes that there are state
statutory provisions mandating towns to establish rules and standards of ethical
conduct for public officers and employees which, if observed, can enhance
public confidence in local government. In the light of a tendency today on
the part of some people to downgrade our local governments and to discredit
our public servants and our free institutions generally, it appears necessary
that every effort be made to assure the highest caliber of public administration
of this Town as part of our state's important system of local government.
It is the purpose of this chapter to implement this objective through the
establishment of standards of conduct, to provide for punishment of violation
of such standards and to create a Board of Ethics to render advisory opinions
to the Town's officers and employees as provided for herein.
The standards, prohibited acts and procedures established herein are
in addition to any prohibited acts, conflicts of interest provisions or procedures
prescribed by statutes of the State of New York and also in addition to common
law rules and judicial decisions relating to the conduct of Town officers
to the extent that the same are more severe in their application than this
chapter.