Looking a Gift Ban in the Mouth

noflash.jpgAfter attending a conference this weekend in Cleveland, I can report firsthand that Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's new ethics rules are being taken seriously. Both Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and state Education Superintendent Susan Zelman were seen to decline the USB flash drives (valued at $30) that the Urban Libraries Council offered as thank-you gifts to its speakers.   

This is in line with the executive order the governor issued shortly after taking office in January, which directs his staff, cabinet, state employees of cabinet agencies and those employed at or appointed to State of Ohio boards and commissions to accept only "inexpensive, token gifts such as a t-shirt, mug or lapel pin as an expression of kindness or friendship, or an inexpensive meal or refreshment worth $20 or less."

Note to future hosts: Think cheap!