A Miscellany
<b>Ethics Reform Usually Means Ethics Changes</b><br>
While most people in Massachusetts are cheering on the ethics reform
package that was just passed, at least one state representative has focused
on the compromises and limitations of the package, calling it a first
step. Most responses to scandals are partial rather than changing the entire environment,
and in her excellent <a href="http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/x47274006/Callahan-Ethics-bill-…; target="”_blank”">guest
column</a> Rep. Jennifer Callahan points out the problems with this.<br>
<br>
<b>Ethics vs. Religion</b><br>
When religious organizations gets involved in government ethics
matters, ethics commissions need to be especially sensitive. An example
of this occurred recently in Connecticut, where a Catholic Diocese
organized a protest on the state house grounds. The question was
whether the Diocese spent enough money to require it to register as a
lobbyist. The office of state ethics decided not to pursue an
investigation of this protest, according to <a href="http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-diocese-no-lobbyist.a…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the Hartford </a><span><a href="http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-diocese-no-lobbyist.a…; target="”_blank”">Courant</a>,
</span>because of the possible chilling effect on the freedoms of
speech, assembly, and religion, and the separation of church and state.<br>
<br>
<b>Who Says There's a Perception of Impropriety?</b><br>
Too often, local government officials hide behind a local government
attorney's advice that it is legal to participate in a matter where there
is an apparent conflict of interest. According to <a href="http://www.turlockjournal.com/news/article/289/">a recent
article in the Turlock (CA) </a><span><a href="http://www.turlockjournal.com/news/article/289/" target="”_blank”">Journal</a>, </span>a
Turlock council member ignored the city attorney's advice not to
participate, and an ethics complaint was filed against her, leading to
the creation of a grand jury.<br>
<br>
The grand jury found that the council member's participation was not
illegal. However, it agreed with the city attorney: “Often the
perception of wrongdoing is greater than the offense itself.
This appears to be the case here; wherein no actual wrongdoing was
found to exist, the perception of wrongdoing does (exist) ... (Jackson)
should have recused herself to avoid any perception
of wrongdoing.”And the grand jury suggested modifications in the city's
conflict of interest policy so that this sort of thing would not happen
again.<br>
<br>
But the council member's response undermined anything constructive that
could have come out of the grand jury's report.<br>
<br>
<div>The civil grand jury report clearly
confirms what I’ve been saying
all along. It exonerates me from doing anything wrong,
the perception of a conflict-of-interest was not the majority of
Turlock citizens but a few people who are politically motivated. I
will continue to follow high standards and hold the rest of our city
officials to the same standards. Again, I will not be silenced from the
job I was elected to do.<br>
</div>
<br>
Most damaging was her statement that only the politically motivated
perceived a conflict. How can an official who is so focused on internal
political squabbles know how the public feels about an official's conflict, especially her own conflict? In fact,
the public usually hates such political squabbles, and they, as much as
the irresponsible handling of conflicts of interest, play a role in the
public's lack of trust in their government officials.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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