A one-year ban preventing former city officials from doing business with the city is an important safeguard.a rule that affects when former officials can do business with the city.
Right now, they have to wait a year after they finish their term. This applies to council members and those who serve on boards and commissions.by eliminating the second part that affects those who serve on boards and commissions.
Narvaez, who is finishing his last term, told us he favors the current one-year ban for former council members but believes that if a former council member serves on a city commission, he should not be subject to a “second ban.
This proposed amendment intends to favor the lobbyist, not the city. Even with the one-year waiting period, a former official serving as a lobbyist is problematic but part of political reality. Serving the city should be a civic aspiration, not a business opportunity. Narvaez, who is not a member of the committee, told us that the city attorneys were the ones who pointed out this “conflict in the ethics rules” and he agreed to bring it forward. However, Narvaez has had some ethical concerns in the past.in a contract in which one of the bidding parties, Gadberry Construction, was owned by Dustin Gadberry, Narvaez’s campaign treasurer. He was cleared by the city attorney of any wrongdoing, but in our view, there was an appearance of conflict of interest.