Making Your Own Good Luck
Imagine this story. A mayor calls a group of local contractors and
developers to a closed meeting on furthering economic growth in the city. The
guests are given a welcome pack, and
in the welcome pack is a plain brown, unmarked envelope. The
mayor ran on a platform of stopping corruption, but the
contractors and developers have seen this happen before.
Politicians are all the same, they think.<br>
<br>
During the meeting, the mayor asks her guests to open the
envelopes. Inside the envelopes is one sheet of paper, on which
the guests are asked to write the names of three local
government officials or employees who have asked them for, or simply expected and
accepted, gifts, bribes, kickbacks, or the hiring of relatives.
She promises to have these individuals investigated.<br>
<br>
Is this the fantasy of a good government nut? No, it actually
happened. But it wasn't an American mayor who did this. It was
the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, according to <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21534271" target="”_blank”">an article in
last week's <i>Economist</i></a>.<br>
<br>
This sort of government ethics leadership is almost
unimaginable. It shouldn't be. When a mayor or city/county
manager knows there is corruption, and believes it is officials
who are the culprits, she shouldn't wait for complaints to be
filed. She should ask those who know. And expect an answer in place of a bribe.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
203-859-1959