The Conflicts of Holding an Elected Local Position and a State Job
According to <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-charter1106…; target="”_blank”">an
article in yesterday's Baltimore <span>Sun</span></a>,
the Baltimore County Council narrowly failed in its attempt to change
the county charter to allow council members to work for the state of
Maryland. Five of seven council members voted for the charter amendment
(the charter currently forbids this), including one who "inadvertently"
worked for the state for five months in 2003.<br>
<br>
According to a council member, and former state's attorney, who opposed
the charter amendment, "the change in the charter might have left
people employed by both the county and the state 'open to the potential
for political abuse' and conflicts of interest." He was particularly
concerned that "council members might 'get political hack jobs' as
state employees." He also countered the amendment supporters' argument
that the change would allow more people to run for council: there are
more than enough people interested in the position.<br>
<br>
The former state's attorney is right on target. The council member who
once worked for the state argued that council members could just recuse
themselves if something relating to their job came up. But this sort of
double position-holding goes well beyond this sort of simple conflict.
Allowing council members to work for the state will make it look like
they used their position to get the job (often a job where they have to
do little or no work), trading favors that may not have benefited the
county and making it seem that the state favors elected officials for
its jobs. In other words, it's about patronage more than conflicts
relating to particular matters. And it's about an appearance of
impropriety that cannot be fixed by recusal; in fact, the odds are that
there will not be situations where such a council member would have to
recuse himself.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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