An Ethics Pledge That's Too Much and Too Little
In May, <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/comparison-two-county-ethics-initiati…; target="”_blank”">I wrote a critical assessment</a> of the <a href="http://www.wbcitizensvoice.com/pdfs/Ethics%20Pledge.pdf" target="”_blank”">Luzerne
County (PA) Ethics Pledge</a>. From <a href="http://citizensvoice.com/news/exeter-councilman-abruptly-quits-post-rep…; target="”_blank”">an
article last week in the <i>Citizens Voice</i></a>, I learned that an Exeter
council member who had missed numerous council meetings and filed a
suit against the borough had actually appeared at a council meeting
where he and his fellow council members unanimously refused to sign the
ethics pledge.<br>
<br>
This meeting occurred on June 1, according to <a href="http://citizensvoice.com/news/exeter-council-members-refuse-to-sign-eth…; target="”_blank”">another
<i>Citizens Voice</i> article</a>. The general feeling was that "the oath of
office provided stronger proof of a commitment to ethics than a
symbolic piece of paper." One council member said, "I live my life the
right way. I don't need to sign it."<br>
<br>
This is what a lot of officials say with respect to government ethics
codes. But here it actually has some truth in it, because this ethics
pledge is not for government officials and employees, not limited to
conflicts of interest, but is for everyone and about all of ethics. It
applies not just to public and professional life, but also to personal
life. And it opens everything up for criticism with pledges such as "I
pledge to follow the highest ethical standards in my personal life,
workplace, school and community organizations." One slipup in your
personal life, and you've broken your pledge. And every accusation is
tried in the court of public opinion.<br>
<br>
The council was attacked at that very meeting for not following the
open meetings law. A woman who asked the council to sign the pledge
said, "Is a violation of the Sunshine Act an ethical position?" With
such a pledge, every political and professional issue becomes an
ethical issue. This raises the emotional tenor of government, without
providing any benefit.<br>
<br>
For example, <a href="http://www.wilknetwork.com/Is-The-Ethics-Pledge-A-Fraud----Steve-Corbet…; target="”_blank”">a
radio host saw hypocrisy</a> in some government officials signing the
pledge and talking up ethics:<ul>
All I needed to see was
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton in the crowd talking about ethics to
know that the “Ethics Awareness Initiative of Luzerne County” was just
another hustle. The last time I saw Leighton, I looked him in the eye
and asked if he wrote a letter to a federal judge in support of
admitted federal criminal and corrupt public official Bill Brace, a
longtime Leighton political and social ally who is preparing for a
federal prison sentence after admitting that he took a bribe while
being paid to uphold the public trust.<br>
<br>
Leighton refused to answer my question. He still refuses to answer my
question. And if he did write the letter, he refuses to release the
contents to the people who pay him to ethically and honorably uphold
the public trust.</ul>
<a href="http://m.standardspeaker.com/opinion/we-have-seen-what-others-see-1.829…; target="”_blank”">An
editorial in the <i>Standard Speaker</i></a> says, "The 'Ethics Pledge'
movement ... seems too slight a remedy for what ails the county. The
restoration of our public institutions will require an engaged voting
public, concrete initiatives by elected officials to pass new ethics
rules and safeguards, continued scrutiny by the media and willingness
among citizens and public officials alike to blow the whistle on
wrongdoing."<br>
<br>
This is almost on target. The pledge is both too much <i>and</i> too little.
Government officials should not have to pledge to do more than follow
laws, including ethics codes, in word and in spirit. What they need to do is set up effective,
independent ethics programs, and do everything they can to encourage
public participation and oversight.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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