You can contact the commission by email at ethics@wilmingtonde.gov or by mail at:

Louis L. Redding City/County Building
Law Department
Attn. Ethics Commission
800 N. French Street, 9th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801 

The Law Department can be contacted by phone at (302) 576-2175, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A sworn complaint is a written complaint signed under oath and before a notary under a penalty of perjury. The sworn complaint can be emailed to ethics@wilmingtonde.gov, mailed or hand-delivered to:

Louis L. Redding City/County Building
Law Department
Attn. Ethics Commission
800 N. French Street, 9th Floor
Wilmington, Delaware 19801

Upon the Commission’s receipt of a sworn complaint of any person or on its own initiative, the Commission may refer the matter to the City Solicitor for an investigation of any alleged violation of a conflict of interest or the Code of Conduct provisions.

A City official or employee may request a waiver if a literal application of the code of conduct does not advance the spirit of the code and would result in a hardship to the City official or employee. To request a Waiver, submit a request in writing by email at ethics@wilmingtonde.gov or mail to:

Louis L. Redding City/County Building
Law Department
Attn. Ethics Commission
800 N. French Street, 9th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801

The request should include the relevant facts and the code provision(s) the requester wants waived. Refer to Waivers of Restrictions for additional information.

An advisory opinion is an opportunity for a City official or employee to present a factual situation to the Commission and ask what they should or can do. To request an Advisory Opinion, submit a request in writing via email at ethics@wilmingtonde.gov or mail to:

Louis L. Redding City/County Building
Law Department
Attn. Ethics Commission
800 N. French Street, 9th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801

The request should include the relevant facts and the code provision(s) that relate to the request. Refer to Advisory Opinions for additional information.

The Ethics Commission is made of volunteer city residents, who administer and implement the Code of Conduct for City Employees, Elected and Appointed Officials. For detailed information about the Commission’s duties, please refer to Wilmington City Code Sec. 2-344. - Powers and duties.

The Ethics Commission’s Futures Committee goal is to be proactive and identify ways to optimize ethics in City of Wilmington government. It is also seeking to examine how to best modernize the Commission and make recommendations to the full Commission. The Futures Committee will start by looking at three issues in the following order:

1. Making the Ethics Commission web page more informative for the public. This FAQ document was the first output of the Futures Committee.
   
   
2. Making recommendations regarding the City Code. The Commission will be reviewing best practices and code language of other governments and comparing them to the current City Code. After a careful and thoughtful review, it expects to make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council regarding potential updates to the City Code. Any such changes would have to be passed by ordinance.
   
   
3. Amending the Ethics Commission’s rules. The Commission intends to amend the rules as needed to modernize the Commission and help it operate most effectively and efficiently. Any such changes would have to be approved by the Administrative Board.

The Futures Committee typically meets the third Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. in the Atrium Conference Room located adjacent to the Department of Finance on the 5th Floor of the City/County building. Meeting dates and location are subject to change but always posted a minimum of one week prior to the meeting.

Meetings are open to the public. A full schedule of meeting dates, agendas, and minutes can be found on the main Ethics Commission page.

The Ethics Commission normally meets the first Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. by Zoom and/or in the Louis L. Redding City/County Building. Meeting dates and location are subject to change but always posted a minimum of 1 week prior to the meeting.

Meetings are open to the public but the Commission may enter into Executive Session to consider confidential matters. A full schedule of meeting dates, agendas, and minutes can be found on the main Ethics Commission page. 

The Commission consists of seven members appointed by the Mayor with the concurrence by resolution of a majority of all members of City Council. No more than four members shall be registered with the same political party. No member shall hold any elected or appointed office or be a candidate for any such office. Commissioners serve four-year terms and cannot serve more than two terms. A complete list of the current Commissioners is available on the Commission’s website.