Source: https://www.azag.gov/node/2475
Timestamp: 2018-01-21 20:42:16
Document Index: 701875072

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 38', '§ 38', '§ 38', '§ 38', '§ 38', '§ 38']

Conflicts of Interest | Arizona Attorney General
I03-005 (R03-023)
Linda Harant Good
Pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 38-502 and -503, a conflict-of-interest analysis must be applied to the questions relating to discussions about schools in areas where the member’s employer does not provide service and general study sessions relating to utility services. The board member has a conflict of interest on any matter in which he has a “substantial interest.” A.R.S. § 38-502(11). A determination of whether there is a substantial interest must be made on a “case-by-case” basis, which requires a determination of the board member’s proprietary or pecuniary interest in the action. A.R.S. § 38-503;see also Ariz. Att’y Gen. Ops. I85-052 and I80-139. If the board member will benefit directly or indirectly from the fact that his employer may obtain business from the district for its new schools, the board member has a substantial interest. A.R.S. § 38-502(11).(1) If the board member has a conflict of interest, it is not enough that he refrain from voting on a matter; he is also required to “refrain from participating in any manner” in a decision. A.R.S. § 38-503 (emphasis added).
The statutes addressing conflicts of interest of a public officer do not, by their express terms, prohibit discussion only on “pending” matters. A.R.S. §§ 38-502 through -511. The prohibition against participating in a decision or a contract, sale, or purchase in which a board member has a substantial interest applies with equal force to participating in any way in the process leading up to a decision. See Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. I83-111 (an employee with a conflict of interest “must not make recommendations, give advice, or otherwise communicate in any manner with anyone involved in the decision-making process”); see also Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. I82-004.(2)