The Perfect Justification for Unethical Conduct

Almost three years ago, I wrote a blog post about the scandal that rocked my town, North Haven, CT. Since then, one of the two arrested department heads, the finance director, was given accelerated rehabilitation (lenient probation) because he turned state's evidence. The other department head, and his wife, who was his assistant, spent years delaying trial, and then also asked for accelerated rehabilitation. They had been charged with embezzlement, larceny, forgery, and conspiracy.

According to an article in the North Haven Courier, the department head's attorney argued, "We had an analysis done that shows the Ierardis saved the town $207,000 by not claiming pensions for three years [this is before the arrests; they immediately retired after being arrested]. They continued to work and saved the town considerable money. We are not conceding that they did anything wrong. The amount they were alleged to have stolen is small potatoes by comparison."

Small potatoes, by the way, is $142,000, according to a forensic audit (although the amount in the charges was far less).

This is an ethically unacceptable argument, but one that sadly reflects the thinking of many officials who take or misuse city property. When you see the world as a balance sheet, and you can say to yourself that you've given more than you've got (which of us does not feel that way?), you can feel you have the right to take what you're not offered without feeling guilty. It's the perfect justification for unethical conduct.

Responsible government officials and employees, on the other hand, realize that life is not a balance sheet, and instead take pride in what they've done for the community.

If you can make this balance sheet argument before a court of law, you can certainly make the argument to yourself. And for this official and his wife, it worked. They were given accelerated rehabilitation this week. No admission of guilt, no trial, no jail time and, in the future, no criminal record.

Robert Wechsler
Director of Research, City Ethics
rwechsler@cityethics.org
203-230-2548