All current members of the city?s Commission on Aging and Retirement Education ? the board charged with guiding health care policies for the city?s seniors ? have failed to sign individual conflict of interest affidavits required by the city?s ethics code, according to city Ethics Board records.
The failure to file the affidavits puts the sitting commissioners, except ex-officio members who have complied, in violation of the city ethics code.
The lapse has occurred despite a reminder sent to the commission?s Executive Director John Stewart that the present slate of commissioners have not complied with the city ethics code.
The affidavits are sworn documents affirming that all key city employees are aware of and will abide by city ethics laws that forbid conflict of interest.
The code prohibits key city employees from working for or having a financial interest in an entity that does business with the city employee?s agency. The code also prohibits a public employee from being employed by or having an interest in a business that is regulated by the employee?s agency.
The deadline to sign and return the affidavit for commission members is six months after appointment.
Several calls and e-mails for comment to C.A.R.E. were not returned. Formed in 1973, C.A.R.E. refers to itself on a city Web site as “a single point of entry” for seniors entering the health care system. The agency refers senior citizens to health care providers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The commission also funds initiatives to make Baltimore more “senior friendly,” it?s annual report said.
The city ethics code requires Stewart, the commission?s chairman, to undergo an ethics training course. But records of the Ethics Board indicate that Stewart has yet to complete the required training.
