The Voice of Ethics

Listen up! Susan and Nick share their top moments from the first year of The Voice of Ethics podcast.
 
September 2026 Episode Transcript – One Year
 
Referenced and relevant materials
MLM Mentor | The Voice of Ethics
Ethics on the Rocks | The Voice of Ethics
Happily Ever Grafter: When Weddings and Ethics Collide | The Voice of Ethics
Et Tu, Vendor? | The Voice of Ethics
Smooth Asphalt, Slippery Ethics | The Voice of Ethics
Detention! Public Schools, Public Transgressions | The Voice of Ethics
Take a Bow: Broadway and Bad Decisions | The Voice of Ethics
 The 12 NBA Tickets of Christmas (and Other Illegal Gifts) | The Voice of Ethics
Nepotism Is Not a Love Language | The Voice of Ethics
The Skeleton in the Cemetery Board’s Closet | The Voice of Ethics

When a taxpayer insisted on tipping her, a city of Findlay tax agent chose integrity over income. Nichole Alge shares with Susan how a hidden $20 bill ended up spotlighting the Ethics Law.
 
September 2026 Episode Transcript – Tax
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Gifts and Other Things of Value Fact Sheet
Advisory Opinion No. 2011-05
Informal Opinion 2006-INF-0317
Advisory Opinion No. 92-015

A lottery commissioner treats agency funds like a personal expense account – where does legitimate business end and personal benefit begin?
August 2026 Episode Transcript – The Chairman’s Tab
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Conflicts of Interest Fact Sheet
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov 

When a public golf course’s back nine borders a city council member’s back yard, even well‑intentioned involvement can land in the rough.
 
August 2026 Episode Transcript – A Hole-in-One Too Close to Home
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Property Matter Affecting Public Officials/Employees & Their Families Fact Sheet Chapter
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov 

Susan and Nick head outdoors for two park‑themed stories that prove that even well-intentioned public servants can inadvertently wander off-trail.
 
July 2026 Episode Transcript – Trail Mix-Ups: Ethics in the Parks
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Ohio Ethics Law Overview Fact Sheet
Advisory Opinion No. 2011-05
Gifts and Other Things of Value Fact Sheet
Advisory Opinion No. 2009-06

Susan reviews Thomas H. Keels’ book Sesqui!: Greed, Graft, and the Forgotten World's Fair of 1926.
 
July 2026 Episode Transcript – We the People (Don’t Appreciate Corruption) – Book Review
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov 

A heated dog bite dispute becomes a cautionary tale about abusing public positions.
June 2026 Episode Transcript – Barking Up the Wrong Tree
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Conflicts of Interest Fact Sheet
Tiny dog shamelessly steals Uber Eats order off front porch (Video)
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov 

When Cubs fever swept Chicago in 2016, so did elected officials hoping to score World Series tickets at face value. Susan sits down with Chicago Board of Ethics Executive Director Steve Berlin to unpack how even access can throw an ethics curveball.
June 2026 Episode Transcript – Take Me Out to the Ballgame
 
Referenced and relevant materials
 Chicago Board of Ethics Advisory Opinion Case No. 16032.A
Advisory Opinion No. 2020-03
Gifts and Other Things of Value Fact Sheet
Advisory Opinion No. 96-003 (pages 7 – 9)
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov 

The Ethics Law doesn't just stop you from helping family members with your public position — it stops you from hurting them too. Susan, Molly Bruns, and David Sturman explore cases where blood was thicker than recusal.
 
May 2026 Episode Transcript – Reverse Nepotism
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Advisory Opinion No. 2025-01
Informal Opinion 1989-INF-0406-1
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov 

A jail superintendent's private bathroom renovation. A county official moonlighting as an Amazon delivery driver — in his county vehicle, on county time, badge dangling. Susan and Nick unpack Advisory Opinion 96-004, the Ethics Commission's go-to guide for keeping your public role and your outside business in separate corners.
May 2026 Episode Transcript - Side Hustle Main Event
 
Referenced and relevant materials
Advisory Opinion No. 96-004
Conflicts of Interest Fact Sheet
 
Stories? Show ideas? We're listening!
E-mail susan.willeke@ethics.ohio.gov