Ethics office posts hiring notices, resists further DSW reassignments and unveils campaign‑finance dashboard

Executive Director Pelham reported on Dec. 14 that the commission has posted and begun accepting applications for four project positions designed to support enforcement, audit and disclosure work. The openings are time‑limited, project‑focused recruitments intended to accelerate prioritized tasks identified in recent audits and staff reports.

Pelham said the office has been asked by the Mayor’s Office to extend several staff Disaster Service Work (DSW) assignments to support pandemic operations but that she has declined the extension, arguing the commission needs sufficient staff to perform enforcement and disclosure work in light of the ongoing corruption inquiries. ‘‘We need all hands on deck,’’ Pelham said, noting the commission’s small size and vacant seats.

Pelham also updated the commission on the public‑financing program for the November 2020 election and noted that about half of participating candidates qualified for full public financing under the new program rules; a fuller report will come in March.

Tyler Field demonstrated a new third‑party campaign‑finance visualization built by the city’s open‑data portal vendor using the commission’s campaign finance data. The application shows contributors by geography, top contributors and a contribution timeline for candidates and ballot committees and — during election season — can be updated nightly. Commissioners asked about analytics and a push strategy to bring the tool to journalists and the public; staff said they would develop outreach and usage metrics next year.

Commissioners asked staff to include the hiring plan and equity milestones in future executive director reports and to brief the incoming Board of Supervisors on the office’s needs during the next budget cycle.