Two Pleasant Surprises
<b>The Partisanship of Ethics</b><br>
The first pleasant surprise involves a<a href="http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-to-do-with-our-corrupt-…; target="”_blank”">
blogger (Advance Indiana) who is disgusted</a> with his own party's
unethical conduct in his city/county, Indianapolis/Marion County. A
native of Illinois, he compares it to Chicago, and he notes that his
party took office because of the other party's unethical conduct. In
this era of partisan blogging, it is nice to see recognition by a
blogger of his own party's ethical problems.<br>
<br>
Government ethics is nonpartisan, but it is too often handled in a
partisan manner. I myself have been attacked on the blogosphere for
never criticizing Democrats, which would be extremely hard (and
unethical) to do in a world where Democrats are in power in most of our
country's larger cities.<br>
<br>
Too many ethics complaints are brought for partisan purposes, sometimes
even by party committees. Too many ethics problems (beyond campaign
finance matters) are discovered at election time, and too many
officials are beaten up in public over minor violations and oversights.<br>
<br>
But the most serious problem is party members circling the wagons to
defend their own. Everyone says that there are just a few rotten
apples in government, but when something comes out, too many of the other apples
support the rotten ones, and often turn out to know what was going on
all along.<br>
<br>
Nothing prevents unethical conduct like ethical leadership, but ethical
support -- or the refusal to accept unethical conduct from one's own
party -- comes a close second.<br>
<br>
<b>Responding to Ethics Controversies</b><br>
The second pleasant surprise is the way the mayor of Leesburg (VA)
reacted to a controversy involving an environmental advisory commission
member's relationship with a solar company that is drafting a no-bid
contract with the town. According to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/12/AR20100…; target="”_blank”">an
article in Sunday's Washington <i>Post</i></a>, the mayor ordered all town
board and commission members "to steer clear of actions that could lead
to conflict-of-interest situations."<br>
<br>
At a council meeting, the mayor said, "If you feel you have a private
interest in a business and you are trying to promote that business, do
not do it as a commissioner. ... Restrain yourself, recuse yourself
from any discussion whatsoever involving promoting your private
business when you are functioning as a council member, commissioner or
board member, or task force member."
" Excellent advice.<br>
<br>
In addition, ethics training is also being expanded, and board and
commission members are being told to ask a county attorney for ethics
advice. This is better than sending people to a town attorney, who is
more likely to be seen as biased toward a party or other political
allies in town.<br>
<br>
However, in Leesburg ethics matters are handled by the council, which
seriously politicizes the ethics process. The next step for this town
of 39,000 is to draft an ethics code and create an independent ethics
commission. This is the best way for the mayor to show that she really means what
she says.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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