Jackson served on the QAC Ethics Commission until April 2 of this year. Through that position he learned confidential facts about a local citizen through Ethics Commission discussions about an Advisory Opinion issued in January. The Ethics Code requires the members and staff keep confidential any information that could potentially identify the person it concerns (§8-10,F). It's an obligation most of its members take seriously, redacting or otherwise masking the identity of anyone in an Advisory Opinion and keeping confidential any details of any complaint.
Not Mr. Jackson though. An important man like him couldn't be bothered to worry about the Ethics Code so he took the initiative to not only discuss the details of this case but to name the individual and disclose personal financial details he was legally required to keep confidential in the local newspapers as well as in campaign stump speeches and answers to various questions at forums.
It seems pretty obvious that Jackson thought these violations of his obligation to confidentiality would somehow benefit his political aspirations. And that’s another big no-no. In addition to binding its members to confidentiality the Ethics Code Jackson is eager to invoke specifically prohibits using confidential info obtained via a county position for personal gain.
§8-11,A. In general. Queen Anne's County officials, board and commission members, and employees, as provided in § 8-5, are prohibited from the following:As an important aside, §8-13,F of the Ethics Code is explicit that any individual must file a financial disclosure within 30 days of leaving office “for any reason other than death.” Apparently Jackson thought that didn't apply to him. He did file the disclosure, but not in the prescribed time period, and not even during the next month. I guess when you are above the law absolute deadlines don’t apply to you.
Intentionally using the prestige of their office, or confidential information acquired in their official County position, for their own private gain or that of another. The performance of usual and customary constituent services without additional compensation is not prohibited under this section.
The Ethics Code is a simple document that is only several pages long. As Neal Jackson is so fond of reminding people he served on the Ethics Commission and was a big shot career DC attorney before that. There is no possible way that Jackson was not aware of these obligations. That leaves only one possible conclusion - he does not care about the law, the impacts of violations on those affected, at least when it comes to him and and his other fellow liberal elites.
Considering how recently he transplanted himself in QAC, we don’t know a whole lot about Jackson, but what we do know isn’t good.
He rushed to defend the right of a convicted kiddie pornographer to trade pictures of sexual abuse on the internet because he was “writing a story.”
He eagerly accepted large sums of cash from Henry Sears, a man who seems to have bought his way out of one environmental law violation after another.
He is proudly supported by Sveinn Storm, a thug who calls government on everyone else but works on his own properties without permits and in violation of EPA lead regulations.
And he himself has flagrantly violated the County Ethics Code on multiple points, even though he complains of others’ supposed tin ears on the issue.
It is clear that this is one heck of a guy and given a little political power would be one heck of a politician. Such politicians sometimes get lots of press, just not the kind we want in Queen Anne’s County.
Considering how recently he transplanted himself in QAC, we don’t know a whole lot about Jackson, but what we do know isn’t good.
He rushed to defend the right of a convicted kiddie pornographer to trade pictures of sexual abuse on the internet because he was “writing a story.”
He eagerly accepted large sums of cash from Henry Sears, a man who seems to have bought his way out of one environmental law violation after another.
He is proudly supported by Sveinn Storm, a thug who calls government on everyone else but works on his own properties without permits and in violation of EPA lead regulations.
And he himself has flagrantly violated the County Ethics Code on multiple points, even though he complains of others’ supposed tin ears on the issue.
It is clear that this is one heck of a guy and given a little political power would be one heck of a politician. Such politicians sometimes get lots of press, just not the kind we want in Queen Anne’s County.
