Sioux Falls City Councilor Neitzert asks Ethics Commission LYFT Question

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Greg asked the Ethics Commission yesterday if it would be okay for him to be approved as a LYFT driver as a sitting city councilor. He has been approved already but has no intention of working for them, he did it for research purposes. The EC found it to be no conflict of interest.

Posted in: Greg Neitzert, LYFT, SF City Council, Sioux Falls

3 Thoughts on “Sioux Falls City Councilor Neitzert asks Ethics Commission LYFT Question”

  1. Greg Neitzert on March 30, 2018 at 11:02 am said:

    Just to be clear, I wanted to get the independent opinion from the Ethics Commission as to whether my participation in TNC (Transportation Networking Company) related items going forward would be a conflict because I HAD been approved as a Lyft driver (but never drove, had no benefit, financial reward, I made zero) and have been deactivated now (I asked them to delete my account). I had not intended to drive and had gone through the approval process to see actually what was required and what the vetting process was firsthand. I never went online and made any money as a Lyft driver. However, as we all know ethics are also about appearances. I wanted to get an independent opinion and guidance as to whether the simple act of getting approved, although having never worked as a driver, created any sort of a conflict. I appreciated their spirited discussion and deliberation. I was gratified by the result, but to be clear I would have honored any decision they made. Essentially, if you were an employee of an entity OR had been a independent contractor and make $5,000 or more in the last year from an entity, you need to recuse yourself. A Lyft driver is an independent contractor. I never went online and had no benefit or pay, so I didn’t meet either item. There were some other items in our ethics standards that I wanted their judgement on as well that have to do with more general standards such as not having a ‘financial interest’ and other ethical concerns. This was an effort by me to make sure that there would be no questions in regards to my conduct in this regard as we move forward.

  2. The D@ily Spin on March 30, 2018 at 8:37 pm said:

    I don’t see any conflict. Actually, it’s a good idea for a councilor to be keenly aware of internet services. Erickson already uses AirBNB without paying lodging tax. I hope we don’t compete for rides. I’m driving for Uber. They’re here and completely ignore city approvals and paying sales tax.

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