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A Miscellany
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
Robert Wechsler
Wow! Get a Load of Those Salaries!
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.
What I mean by "official" is that the Los Angeles Times just won an Pulitzer prize for its coverage of the Bell salary scandal (see my blog post on it), and according to an article in The Wrap last month, a Hollywood producer has purchased film rights for the Bell story, as told by the police sergeant who blew the whistle.
I don't think the film is ever going to make it to the City Ethics Top Ten Ethics Film list. You heard it here first.
Ethics Programs Save More Money Than They Cost
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 three blog posts this February. Neighboring Rockdale County has an Ethics Citizens Committee, and according to an article this weekend in the Rockdale Citizen, its chair said with respect to the problems in Gwinnett County, "We have seen in other counties how unethical behavior can cost the county a lot of money."
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.
Rockdale County's move to write an ethics code is "preemptive," that is, they're not waiting for their own scandal. Good job!
Voting to Keep Ethics Advice Secret
According to an article in the Victorville (CA) Daily Press last week, 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.
Many of the chamber's sponsors have contracts with the city, and the mayor pro tem has voted on their contracts.
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.
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.'"
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!
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
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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.
What I mean by "official" is that the Los Angeles Times just won an Pulitzer prize for its coverage of the Bell salary scandal (see my blog post on it), and according to an article in The Wrap last month, a Hollywood producer has purchased film rights for the Bell story, as told by the police sergeant who blew the whistle.
I don't think the film is ever going to make it to the City Ethics Top Ten Ethics Film list. You heard it here first.
Ethics Programs Save More Money Than They Cost
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 three blog posts this February. Neighboring Rockdale County has an Ethics Citizens Committee, and according to an article this weekend in the Rockdale Citizen, its chair said with respect to the problems in Gwinnett County, "We have seen in other counties how unethical behavior can cost the county a lot of money."
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.
Rockdale County's move to write an ethics code is "preemptive," that is, they're not waiting for their own scandal. Good job!
Voting to Keep Ethics Advice Secret
According to an article in the Victorville (CA) Daily Press last week, 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.
Many of the chamber's sponsors have contracts with the city, and the mayor pro tem has voted on their contracts.
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.
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.'"
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!
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
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