About the Ethics Board
Why Do We Have an Ethics Board?
It is declared that high moral and ethical standards among county public officials and county employees are essential to the conduct of free government. The County believes that a code of ethics for the guidance of county public officials and county employees will help them avoid conflicts between their personal interests and their public responsibilities, will improve standards of public service, and will promote and strengthen the faith and confidence of the people of this County. It is the intent of the County that in its operations the board shall protect to the fullest extent possible the rights of individuals affected.
Responsibilities
The Ethics Board is responsible for enforcing and interpreting the Ethics Code, Chapter 9 of the Milwaukee County General Ordinances and various provisions of Chapter 14 of the Milwaukee County General Ordinances.
Duties
To achieve these goals of maintaining high ethical standards, the Ethics Board has the following primary duties:
- Issue confidential advisory opinions to Milwaukee County employees and public officials with respect to their own situation or plans
- Investigate requests for investigations and verified complaints. The Ethics Board provides a formal process for filing complaints
- Maintain the annual filing of financial statements (Statement of Economic Interests). The individuals required to file such statements are determined by respective department administrators according to ordinance requirements and may be subject to review by the Ethics Board
The Ethics Code applies to all Milwaukee County employees and public officials – not just elected officials. The Ethics Code covers office holders, candidates for public office, classified employees, exempt employees, appointees to boards and commissions, and vendors doing business with Milwaukee County.
Appointment
The Ethics Board consists of six Milwaukee County residents (Milwaukee County General Ordinance § 9.07(1)(a)). Pursuant to MCGO § 9.07(1)(b) the County Executive solicits two nominations from each of the following:
- The President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- The Board Chair of the Wisconsin Policy Forum
- The Board Chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee
- The President of the Milwaukee Bar Association
- The Board Chair of the Inter-Faith Conference of Greater Milwaukee
- The President of the Board of the League of Women Voters of Greater Milwaukee
The County Executive then selects and submits the name of one of the nominees to the County Board for confirmation (MCGO § 9.07(1)(e)).
If you are interested in serving on the Ethics Board, contact one of the nominating authorities. Candidate résumés must be provided to the County Board 30 days prior to the confirmation hearing.
See Ethics Board members.
Term
Each Ethics Board member is appointed for a term of six years (MCGO § 9.07(1)(f)). An Ethics Board member is limited to two consecutive terms on the Ethics Board and may not serve on the Ethics Board for more than 12 consecutive years (MCGO § 9.07(1)(g)).
Duties Regarding the Lobbying Code
The Ethics Board:
- Prescribes forms and instructions for preparing and filing registration applications and expense statements governed by Milwaukee County General Ordinance (MCGO), Chapter 14
- Prepares and publishes a manual setting forth recommended uniform methods of accounting and reporting for use by persons who are required to provide information or file statements under MCGO, Chapter 14
- Adopts such rules as may be necessary to enforce the various provisions of MCGO, Chapter 14, including a schedule of sanctions and forfeitures pursuant to Section, 14.11
Board Members
Elizabeth Lentini, Chair - Term Expires 05/27/2029 (Nominee: League of Women Voters)
Elizabeth holds a bachelor's degree in government from Smith College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. Originally from Colorado, she practiced in Denver at Davis, Graham & Stubbs and later joined Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells). In 1997 she joined the Law Department at Northwestern Mutual, where she worked on private investment transactions and later became a compliance specialist. She served as Chief Compliance Officer for Northwestern Mutual Capital and was responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the company's Code of Ethics in the company's investment area. She retired in 2017 and as a member of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County helps register Milwaukee County high school students and residents of the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center.
Christopher Meuler, Vice Chair - Term Expires 02/28/2028 (Nominee: Milwaukee Bar Association)
Mr. Christopher Meuler is a graduate of Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He is an attorney at Friebert, Finerty & St. John, S.C., where he maintains a general litigation practice with emphasis in the area of business litigation, eminent domain, insurance coverage, appellate work, contract disputes and bid protests. Mr. Meuler serves as local counsel for a number of national law firms when disputes arise in Wisconsin. In addition, Mr. Meuler pursues his interest in politics with a concentration in election law. He has worked on numerous election recounts and nomination paper challenges, and has advised both sides of the aisle on campaign finance and other issues.
After graduating from Marquette University, Mr. Meuler worked on the 1996 presidential campaign, followed by work in governmental affairs. He then served as a high school teacher before attending the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Mr. Meuler is a member of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin and American Bar Associations.
Richard Donner - Term Expires 04/30/2027 (Nominee: Wisconsin Policy Forum)
Richard W. Donner is a shareholder in the Real Estate Department at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. where he focuses his practice on governmental relations, zoning, land use, property tax, eminent domain and other aspects of real estate development. Rick is co-author of the State Bar of Wisconsin publication Condemnation Law and Practice in Wisconsin and Chapter 7 of the State Bar of Wisconsin publication Commercial Real Estate Transactions, Title Insurance and Closing Protection Letters. He earned his B.A., with distinction, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Rick lives in Shorewood, WI with his wife and two kids.
Dean Daniels - Term Expires 09/22/2028 - (Nominee: Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee)
Dean Daniels is a Roman Catholic liturgist and musician holding graduate degrees in both music and theology. He served forty years in Roman Catholic parish and diocesan positions, recently retiring after twenty years as the Director for the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. After his retirement he assisted Auxiliary Bishop Haines for three years as an ecumenist and interfaith advocate.
Mr. Daniels is a member of the Governing Board of the Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Franklin, WI. He is the nominee to the County Ethics Board from the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee where he also sits as a member of the Cabinet of the Interfaith Conference.
Clifton Phelps - Term Expires 03/20/2031 - (Nominee: Greater Milwaukee Committee)
Clifton “Cliff” Phelps is the Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder of JCP Construction, leading client relationships, partnerships, and growth strategy. Cliff focuses on building long-term relationships with owners, designers, and community stakeholders while aligning opportunities with JCP’s capabilities and values. He is passionate about community impact, workforce development, and ensuring JCP’s growth benefits the people and communities it serves.
George Bledsoe - Term Expires 04/30/2032 - (Nominee: NAACP)
Bio will be added soon.