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Ethics Commission, Shmethics Commission...
Bevan Dufty goes through campaign managers like Spinal Tap went through drummers -- though, to our knowledge, none of his three prior field generals has exploded. He has hired a rather explosive campaign manager No. 4: Alex Tourk.
When asked the status of the Ethics Commission investigation of his new hire, Dufty says he doesn't know. And doesn't much care.
Besides, Dufty continues, the situation that entangled Tourk with regards to Herrera and Gascón doesn't apply to him. "What doesn't concern me is that I'm not an officeholder. And I'm very conversant with my responsibilities," the mayoral candidate says. "To wit, when I'm elected mayor, there'll be a five-year period that Alex will not be able to lobby me for a paid client. I'm very aware of what my responsibilities are."
Our calls to the Ethics Commission regarding the status of the Tourk investigation have not been returned. Dufty said he hasn't heard anything and says Tourk told him he hadn't heard anything either.
Still, some interesting questions remain. If Tourk did what he said he did on the lobbying forms he turned into Ethics, then it would seem a clear violation of the city's campaign and governmental conduct code. And if his reports were inaccurate, then he signed off on a form you complete under penalty of perjury.
Tourk has his new job, incidentally, because "he's hugely respected for his ability to mobilize people and win elections," Dufty notes.
You don't need an Ethics Commission investigation to find that out.
