Oregon Public Broadcasting

State and local officials across Oregon have about two weeks left to fill out their paperwork for the Oregon Ethics Commission.

Two years ago, every member of the Elgin town council and planning commission quit to protest the state’s sweeping disclosure law. The state ethics law requires hundreds of officials to disclose their sources of income each year. The ethics commission can fine people who fail to do so. When the law first went into effect Tim McGuiness chaired the Elgin planning commission. That’s an unpaid position. He quit in protest. But McGuiness said he’s back chairing the commission this year. The city administrator told him he wouldn’t have to fill out the form. So McGuiness was surprised when it came in the mail last week. “I’m sure my customers don’t want their names and numbers and how much they contributed to my household income. I’m sure they don’t want that information out there," he said.McGuiness said he no longer has to list the names and addresses of his family members, and that’s a step in the right direction. But he still wants a change in the law.