In an effort to increase transparency and accountability, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin joined fellow elected and appointed officials today for an ethics training seminar. The seminar is significant as it is the first time that the County’s appointed officials participated in the annual training.  

“The ethics training for all County officials – elected and appointed – is an important step in ensuring everyone follows the same rules and regulations as we strive to make DuPage County a leader in government accountability,” said Cronin.

Last year’s comprehensive review of the County’s 24 independent agencies unveiled that many of these entities lacked an ethics ordinance or maintained policies that did not include key provisions in the County’s ordinance such as political contributions, contractor disclosure or conflict of interest. In an effort to rectify the policy findings, Cronin introduced the DuPage ACT Initiative (Accountability, Consolidation and Transparency) that provided an opportunity for these agencies to make structural and operational reforms including adoption of the ethics ordinance. To date, 17 of the agencies have adopted the County’s ethics ordinance.

“It was extremely important to include the appointed board members to participate in this year’s ethics training. Since these agencies account for nearly $300 million in public funds and employ approximately 900 people, it is imperative that everyone abide by the same uniform policies that the rest of County government already follows,” said Cronin.

The ethics training seminar presented by State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Investigator General Paul Moreschi, focused on prohibited gifts, conflicts of interest, whistleblower protection, ethics in procurement practices and prohibited political activities.

The participants also learned about the enhanced role of the Investigator General and the DuPage County Ethics Commission, chaired by Gerald Cassioppi, and how the officials interact when an ethics complaint is filed.

The annual training is required of officials through the DuPage County ethics ordinance. For more information regarding the County’s ethics ordinance or to file an ethics complaint, visit http://www.dupageco.org/CountyBoard/Ethics/4122/.