A Miscellany
<b>Wow! Get a Load of Those Salaries!</b><br>
It's official. People get more upset over big salaries to government
officials than over bribes, kickbacks, unbid contracts, and the like,
which cost taxpayers far, far more.<br>
<br>
What I mean by "official" is that <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-onthemedia-20110419,0,7…; target="”_blank”">the
Los Angeles <i>Times</i> just won an Pulitzer prize</a> for its coverage of
the Bell salary scandal (see <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/lack-transparency-and-voter-indiffere…; target="”_blank”">my
blog post</a> on it), and according to <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/apa-packaging-movie-based-sca…; target="”_blank”">an
article in <i>The Wrap</i> last month</a>, a Hollywood producer has purchased
film rights for the Bell story, as told by the police sergeant who blew
the whistle.<br>
<br>
I don't think the film is ever going to make it to the <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/top-ten-ethics-films" target="”_blank”">City
Ethics Top Ten Ethics Film list</a>. You heard it here first.<br>
<br>
<b>Ethics Programs Save More Money Than They Cost</b><br>
One local government's ethics scandal can have an effect on neighboring
governments. This appears to be the case with Gwinnett County, GA,
whose scandal I wrote about in <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/search/node/gwinnett" target="”_blank”">three blog posts
this February</a>. Neighboring Rockdale County has an <span class="headlines" id="storyText">Ethics Citizens Committee, and
according to <a href="http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/newtonnews/headlines/Ethics_code_main_to…; target="”_blank”">an
article this weekend in the Rockdale <i>Citizen</i></a>, </span>its chair
said with respect to the problems in Gwinnett County, "<span class="headlines" id="storyText">We have seen in other counties how
unethical behavior can cost the county a lot of money."<br>
<br>
This simple bit of recognition is lacking throughout the country, where
the norm today is cutting back on ethics programs as if that will
save money, when in fact it will cost the local governments a great
deal both in money and in public trust.<br>
<br>
Rockdale County's move to write an ethics code is "preemptive,"
that is, they're not waiting for their own scandal. Good job!<br>
<br>
<b>Voting to Keep Ethics Advice Secret</b><br>
</span>According to <a href="http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/cabriales-27108-eyes-fppc.html" target="”_blank”">an
article in the Victorville (CA) <i>Daily Press</i> last week</a>, the city of
Victorville has asked the state ethics commission for advice regarding
its mayor pro tem's relationship with the High Desert Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. The mayor pro tem's wife is not only the chamber's CEO,
but she also receives a ten percent commission for each sponsor she
recruits along with an annual bonus equal to ten percent of the
chamber’s net operating income. The mayor pro tem himself is president
of the chamber's foundation.<br>
<br>
Many of the chamber's sponsors have contracts with the city, and the
mayor pro tem has voted on their contracts.<br>
<br>
What I found more troubling than the irresponsible handling of this conflict is what happened at a recent council
meeting. When a council member moved to have the council waive its
attorney-client privilege in order to release a city attorney opinion
regarding the potential conflict, the vote was 2-2, with the subject of
the opinion voting against making it public. Such a vote is a clear statement to the public that if there is
a conflict issue, the person with the possible conflict will try to
keep the city's handling of the conflict secret. This is as wrong as can be.<br>
<br>
The mayor said "he’s not casting any judgment on a man who deserves
respect for having served in the Marines, as Victorville’s first
full-time fire chief and on the City Council for nearly 13 years. 'I
think that Rudy needs to have his day in court,' the mayor said. 'Until
then, he’s innocent until proven guilty.'"<br>
<br>
All those facts about the mayor, including the criminal language, are irrelevant. This mayor needs ethics training, badly. And he's one of the two who responsibly voted to have the city attorney opinion made public!<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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