* Ethics Not an Issue For Shiller

But what about Alderman Moore?
BY LEAH NYLEN - MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Two Chicago City Council members have links on their official city Web pages directing viewers to their reelection campaign sites, a potential violation of state ethics laws.

Each ward has a page on the city's Web site, Cityofchicago.gov, that lists contact information for the alderman. Some aldermen also include pictures, biographies and links related to city services and departments.

But two aldermen, Madeleine Haithcock (2nd) and Helen Shiller (46th), also list their campaign Web pages in the "Related Links" section on their ward pages of the city's Web site.

Both Haithcock and Shiller are seeking reelection in the municipal elections on Feb. 27. Haithcock faces at least four challengers, and Shiller is opposed by one other candidate.

David Morrison, deputy executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Public Reform, said their actions probably violate an Illinois law that prohibits using public resources for political campaigns. Although the law covers actions by state employees, Illinois law also requires that all cities have standards at least as tough as the state's, Morrison said.

"There ought to be a city ordinance that says they can't do this," he said. "I should hope if this were brought to the attention of the candidates, they would recognize it was a mistake and take it down right away."

The city's municipal code does not have any regulations addressing this use of the city's Web site, according to Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman for the city's law department. The code does have a regulation that requires city property to be used solely for city business, she added.

George Atkins, Shiller's campaign manager, said he decided to place a link to Shiller's campaign site on her city Web page.

"People wanted to see information on the campaign," he said. "[The link gives] them the ability to do that." Atkins also said he does not believe the link is a violation of the ethics standards, and the campaign has no plans to remove it.

Representatives from Haithcock's campaign could not be reached for comment.

Officials from the Chicago Board of Ethics also declined to comment, saying the board would not investigate unless a formal complaint was filed.

Blognotes: Alderman Moore seems to be playing by the same rules as Alderman Shiller. A look at Alderman Moore's city website shows a link up that goes directly to Alderman Moore's campaign website.

I wonder where he learned that?

The 'Broken Heart' asks, which candidate wants to go after Alderman Moore first? This one's on me.