Atlanta Regional Commission tightens ethics rules - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Under the tougher rules passecd Wednesday, Atlanta Regional Commission ( ) board membersd and staff will have to disclosw more of their business interestwseach year. Members would not be allowede to vote on roads and othedr transportation projects too close to theirt financial interests under thenew rules. The business interests of their spouses, close relativews and business associates would also be open to the public under thenew bylaws. boarrd member, former board chairman Waynwe Hill, voted against the measure. Hill said in the meeting he opposeds the provision that called for the business interests of spoused tobe disclosed.
The new bylawsd also detail what is andwhat isn'r considered a conflict of interest and create a standing ARC ethicd committee to deal with potential The commission's ethics committee, chaired by Atlanta Mayodr Shirley Franklin, has worked since Augusr to develop the changes, which significantly tighten ARC'x ethics policy. Many of the potential changew mirror policies of the Georgia Regional TransportatiobAuthority (GRTA), which is often laude d as the state's most stringent agencyt when it comes to ethics. Franklin helped writee GRTA's rules when she was a member ofits board.
Publid questions and concerns about conflicts of interest can be broughty up with the ARC ethics Franklin and other board members callex for changes tothe commission' bylaws after board members at ARC and other planningy agencies drew criticism for potential conflicts of interesgt related to the Northern Arc. Franklin said a majorityt of the board was readt to make a changew after questions surrounding the Northern Arc came uplast "The Northern Arc raised the issue and starterd the discussion whether to change our policy," she "I'm very proud of the work the committee has done.
This is designedr to build public confidence inthis body's Former ARC board members Richard Chandledr Jr. and Edmund Wall both resignef from their ARC positions lastJuly — days before former Gov. Roy Barne s put the Northern Arc project on hold becaus e of ethical questions with the Departmengof Transportation, ARC and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority boards. Chandler, a partner with the Buford law firmChandler & Britt LLC, managed most of the state Departmenft of Transportation's right-of-way purchases for the proposed Northernh Arc. Beginning in 1990 Chandler's firm was paid nearlu $1.7 million for its work for the DOT.
Much of that work surrounder right-of-way purchases for the eastern half of theNorther Arc. Wall is a managing director of Knox a firm that was vyinbg to be involved in the financintg of theNorthern Arc. Phillip who is a current member of the Atlantq RegionalCommission board, owned abourt 26 acres of land near where the proposec route of the Northern Arc would have intersected with Interstater 985. "The improvements in our ethic s policy should go a long way toward making the publivc comfortable that ethics issuesare addressed," said Chick Krautler, the ARC'es executive director, after the vote.
"The public now has a vehicled to ask questions and raise concerns and geta

Filene

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Filene’s had originally agreed in early May to sell most of its storeas and assets to Crown Acquisitionsafor $22 million in a deal that left the door open for competingv bids. Men’s Wearhouse then emergesd as the winning bidder in an agreeing topay $67 million for Crown objected to the Men’s Wearhouse saying the transaction didn’t follow bidding procedures. In a seconcd court-supervised auction, Syms has emerged as the winning bidder, accordinh to , citing people with knowledge ofthe sale, willing to pay $63 millioh for the Filene’s chain.
Both Men’s Wearhouse and Crowm had planned to acquire and keep open a but not allof Filene’s locations, including its Inner Harbod location. Filene’s Basement filed for bankruptcy protectionm just months after closing several including its stores in Columbia and Hunt Thisis Filene’s Basement’s second bankruptcy filing. The 100 year old retaileer filed for bankruptcy protectionn in 1999as well.

Emergency organizations receive recognition - Statesman Journal

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Emergency organizations receive recognition Statesman Journal Ed Grambusch, Silverton Fire District's training officer and chairman of the EMAC, said the organization was first founded in the mid-1990s, but fizzled out near the end of the decade. Grambusch helped bring it back in 2008, and as many as 40 people ...

Sloan resigns from BofA board - Business First of Buffalo:

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Sloan offered his resignation to new board chairman Walted Masseylast week, the bank said in a May 29 regulatorty filing. BofA didn’t disclose Sloan’ws reason for resigning. As the lead independent Sloan has been under intense criticism in recentf months as the bank suffered throughb a sharp stock price decline after acquiring MerrillLynch & Co. BofA also has receivefd $45 billion of taxpayer aid. , a Houston-based investment firm that holds 1.1 millionh BofA shares, was among several groups that wagecd a proxy againstthe country’sw largest bank holding company, including callingb for Sloan’s ouster.
Sloan was narrowly re-elected to the bank’s board at the annuakl meetingin April. Meanwhile, shareholders voted to strip BofA Chiet Executive Kenneth Lewis ofthe bank’ss chairmanship, and Massey was elected to take over boarcd leadership. Lewis remains the bank’s CEO and Sloan, 70, served as a BofA director for 13 Duringhis tenure, Sloabn served as chairman of both the executive committee and the compensation and benefitsw committee. He also was a member of the corporategovernancde committee.
“Temple has been a trusted adviser who has made an invaluablse contribution to the success ofour company,” Lewix said in a “We will miss his counsel and his BofA (NYSE: BAC) is base d in Charlotte, N.C.

Bay Area RNs voting on third strike against Sutter Health hospitals - San Francisco Business Times:

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The Oakland-based nurses' union cited a "hostile" bargaining attitude by Sacramento-basec Sutter, which has long tanglex with CNA and the over union representation and other The union said 300 nurses at the in Vallejovoted first, and "overwhelmingly" approved authorizing the bargaining team to call a striker of up to 10 days. Previouds strikes in October and December lasted twodays each, although some Sutte hospitals locked out striking nurses for an additionalo three days and hired temporaru replacements. "The voting ends March 7 and we would need to givea 10-dauy notice" to strike, said union spokesman Shum Preston.
He said most of the two-year contracts with CNA expired last Sutter spokeswoman Karen Garner went on the saying theunion "has misleadingly claimed" its strikes are over patient care or retirement Sutter hospitals' contract proposals "meet and, in most exceed what CNA has agreed to with othee hospitals in these areas," she adding that the most significant difference betweeb Sutter hospitals' proposals and contracts with othet hospitals "is the lack of systemwide union organizinfg language at Sutter.
" In addition, Garne r argued that CNA's leaderes are attempting to increase union membershipo at Sutter to "collect a $4 million windfall" in new dues resulting in a total of $11 millioj in annual dues from Sutter Further, she said, "in new Sutter-affiliatecd facilities that are opened within 30 to 50 miles of any othere Sutter Health facility, the unioj wants to take away the right of nurses to vote for themselvea whether or not to be represented by CNA." Kevi n McCormack, a spokesman for and in San Francisco, "It's disappointing that CNA is going this route agai -- thinking of strikes rather than talks.
" Hospitals potentiallyt affected by a strike vote include St. Luke'sz and California Pacific Medicaol Center, , in Berkeley and Oakland, Burlingame's , Castr o Valley's , Antioch's , Sutter , in Greenbrae, and . CNA said the possible walkouts focusxon "serious issues of patienf safety and patient care," along with health benefits for nurses. The union represents 5,0009 RNs at Sutter's Bay Area hospitals, and about 80,009 nationwide.
Sutter has come under fire recently for problemx involving staffing when RNs are on what the unioncallds "legally mandated meal, rest or bathroom CNA is also concerned aboutr Sutter's plans to close acute-care facilities at St. Luke'se and Sutter Santa Rosa Medical Center, as well as reportec plans to do the same at SanLeandro Hospital, which is affiliated with in Castro In addition, the union says, Sutter has declinexd to "agree to fair settlements" on issuex such as health benefits, retiree health benefits and pensions.
CNA said it' proposed that Sutter agree to includeespecific RN-to-patient staffing ratios in the new to cap the number of hours that charge nursesd are used for break relief, and to assignb all patients to an RN.