An Inadequate Ethics Settlement in Dade County, FL
Settlements of ethics proceedings are usually a good thing for
everyone involved. They save officials
the cost of a proceeding and prevent officials from digging
themselves deeper and deeper into defenses, denials, and cover-ups,
which are usually more harmful to the public trust than any ethics violation. They save taxpayers the cost of a proceeding and
of possible appeals. They save the community the pain of going through
an extended fight over an ethics violation, which can hurt its reputation, escalate, and
have long-term ramifications. They save the government from
functioning with a cloud over one or more officials' heads, which
can draw attention away from substantive issues and make it difficult to raise taxes or pass controversial legislation. And they show the community how important
it is to have a responsible, independent ethics
commission with teeth that can bring the community relief rather
than the sort of strife that scares
citizens away from participating in government.<br>
<br>
But a settlement can only be effective in all these ways if it
requires the respondents in an ethics proceeding to take
responsibility for their conduct, to admit to having violated an
ethics provision, and to accept some sort of sanction. Otherwise,
settlements are seen as "outs" by which officials are not held
accountable. This undermines trust in both officials and the ethics
program, leaving a cloud over both.<br>
<br>
According to <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/10/3863043/homestead-mayor-settles-e…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the Miami <i>Herald</i> this week</a>, the Miami-Dade County
ethics commission entered into an inadequate settlement with the
mayor of Homestead, who was alleged to have run an ad falsely
accusing his opponent of having "gamed the system" to get a "gift"
from taxpayers in the amount of $25,000. There is a county law that
says that a municipal candidate may not publish an untrue statement
“with actual malice” about his opponent or a member of his
opponent's immediate family that will bring “hatred, contempt, or
ridicule.” <br>
<br>
Let's put aside the constitutional issues, which the mayor has
emphasized. With respect to the settlement, what is important is
that, according to the mayor's attorney, “there’s no admission of
guilt, there’s no reprimand and no fine" (actually, the mayor had to
pay $350 for investigation costs). He considers this "a reasonable
outcome." But the public sees this as a dismissal without a hearing,
after a finding of probable cause. It appears that the mayor got
away with something. And there is no public discussion of an ad that might, in fact, have been found to
be accurate.<br>
<br>
As it turns out, the husband of the mayor's opponent (whose hotel
was awarded a $25,000 grant from the city's community
redevelopment authority) is also misrepresenting what happened. He
is quoted as saying, “The money goes to the building, it doesn’t go
to people. I can’t put the $25,000 in my pocket.” Money never goes
to a building, it only goes to the owners of the building.<br>
<br>
Settlements should never appear to be sweeping a matter under the
rug. They should provide the public and the respondent with closure
of a matter that is and appears to be advantageous for the
community.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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