The Village Board of the Village of Massena recognizes that
there are state statutory provisions relating to the establishing
of 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 Village 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 Village officers and employees
as provided herein.
The standards, prohibited acts and procedures established herein
are in addition to any prohibited acts, conflicts of interest provisions
or procedures prescribed by statute of the State of New York and also
in addition to common law rules and judicial decisions relating to
the conduct of Village officers to the extent the same are more severe
in their application than this chapter.