I’m sorry that I didn’t post a link to this article when it was first published but better now than never. Dean Pagani recently wrote this excellent article for the Hartford Business Journal and I wanted to pass it along. He took issue with the process outlined in statute and underaken by the Office of State Ethics in the case of Priscilla Dickman, a UConn employee who went to trial before the OSE because she was accused of using state equipment for personal business purposes. Specifically she used email while on the job at the university to conduct some exchanges in her jewelry business. Ms. Dickman defeneded herself by saying that most state employees use their email for personal purposes too. Without putting words in his mouth, Dean Pagani argues that perhaps there might be bigger fish to fry. What do you think? After so many major ethical scandals in Connecticut, it does feel like the OSE Board is trying to prove that they CAN use the trial provision of the statute rather than show that they SHOULD use it. Then again, as an enforcement agency they don’t always have the luxury of picking a choosing what they can enforce.
Tags: Dean Pagani, ethics, Office of State Ethics, Priscilla Dickman
