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