Every member of the city council reported receiving zero gifts from lobbyists on their most recent annual disclosure. Separately filed lobbyist expense reports, reviewed by Groundwork, list more than $6,000 in meals and event tickets attributed to five of those same council members.
The discrepancy traces to a structural gap: the two disclosure systems are filed with different offices and, city ethics staff confirmed, have never been formally cross-checked.
The city ethics commission chair called the findings "concerning" and said the office would begin a manual reconciliation process, the first of its kind, this quarter.