Last week something unusual happened on the City Council. Mayor Meeker recused himself from a vote.

Why unusual? Well, for years, the Mayor’s been voting on city agreements with the downtown developer his son works with. So, what changed? The Mayor says the problem is his law firm is representing ‘a Fayetteville Street building owner who is negotiating with the city.’ But he’s still straddling the fence. He may not have voted but what happens if a lawyer calls a city official and says, ‘I’m representing ‘John Doe’ and I’m the mayor’s law partner and let’s talk.’ How likely is it for the official to say back, ‘Well, I don’t give a toot who your law partner is?’

The Mayor’s carrying on the political equivalent of ‘insider trading.’

Granted it’d be pretty tough for him to tell his law partners the firm can’t represent anyone who does business with the city. But he can go a step further than he has. He can make everything public. He can disclose all his firm’s contacts with city officials on behalf of clients.

Recusing himself was a step in the right direction. But Mayor Meeker’s only gone halfway. If he is going to have his law firm lobbying the city he should disclose it. All of it. In detail.

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