Kane County ethics ordinance in trouble?

If Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon’s reading of the law is anything like his predecessor’s, the key provisions of the county board’s new ethics ordinance will be eviscerated next month.

McMahon is set to deliver a formal opinion in early July on the sweeping ethics changes the county board approved last year. The ethics ordinance governs everything from political contributions to full disclosure of the personal and financial relations elected officials may have with businesses the county contracts with. A line-by-line critique of the ordinance was delivered by former Kane County State’s Attorney John Barsanti just days before he resigned for a judicial appointment in December.