Chesapeake Beach Ethics Commission begins rewrite of town ethics ordinance, calls for annual list of covered officials

The Chesapeake Beach Ethics Commission on Jan. 13 opened a multi-part effort to revise the town’s ethics ordinance, focusing on who must file financial disclosures, clearer definitions of prohibited conduct, and procedural changes for advisory opinions and enforcement.

Commissioners said the most urgent change is to remove ambiguity about which appointed officials and town employees must file disclosure statements. They proposed moving the roster of covered positions out of the ordinance text and into an annually updated appendix that the town administrator would maintain and submit to the town council for review before the April filing deadline.

Commissioners argued the change would shift the administrative task of maintaining the list to the town administrator and council while preserving the commission’s role in reviewing alleged ethics violations. Several members said the current ordinance’s phrasing and inconsistent job titles across town documents mean the commission and the public cannot reliably determine who is required to disclose.

Members debated substantive wording changes proposed in the draft. The draft replaces the term “corruptly” with “unethically” and includes examples commissioners said would make the standard clearer: lack of accountability (for example, no system to track permit…