The mayor and the members of the council shall be the only elective
city offices. They shall be nominated and elected as required by the
charter at a general election, or if there is no general election
in a year when an election is required to fill a vacancy, at an election
to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
of such year, in accordance with the provisions of Title 19 of the
Revised Statutes.
The council shall provide by ordinance for the adoption of a
code of ethics setting forth for the guidance of the employees and
officers of the city, the standards of ethical conduct in the performance
of their duties which will be required of them. Any such code may
provide standards for officers and employees with respect to:
(a) Representation of private interests before city agencies and courts;
(b) Disclosure of interest in legislation before the council;
(c) Acceptance of gifts and favors;
(d) Disclosure of confidential information;
(e) Holding of investments in conflict with official duties;
(h) Such other standards relating to the conduct of officers and employees
as may be deemed advisable; provided, however, that no provision which
in any way conflicts with the provisions of this article shall be
authorized.
Any councilman or other officer or employee of the city who
shall willfully violate or evade any provision of law relating to
his office or employment, or commit any fraud upon the city, or convert
any of the public property to his own use, or knowingly permit any
other so to convert it or by gross or culpable neglect of duty allow
the same to be lost to the city, upon conviction thereof and in addition
to other penalties imposed by law, shall forfeit his office or employment,
and be excluded forever after from receiving or holding any office
or employment under the city government.
If the mayor, any councilman or other officer or employee of
the city shall, after lawful notice or process, expressly referring
to this section, willfully refuse or fail to appear before any local
legislative committee, or any city officer, board or body authorized
to conduct any hearing or inquiry, or having appeared shall refuse
to testify or to answer any question relevant to the hearing or inquiry
regarding the property, government or affairs of the city or regarding
the nomination, election, appointment or official conduct of any officer
or employee of the city, his term or tenure of office or employment
shall terminate and such office or employment shall be vacant, and
he shall not be eligible thereafter to election or appointment to
any office or employment under the city government or any agency thereof.
Any person convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude shall
be ineligible to hold any city office, position or employment, and
upon conviction thereof while in office or employment shall forfeit
his office or employment, except as may be otherwise provided by the
administrative code with respect to specified employments.