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Thinking Out Loud

The ethics issue ... and other pointed questions for council candidates

This week's column.

Some people are calling for more sharply defined ethical rules for local elected officials.

And they calling for them, from of all places, Raleigh, which has not exactly been a paragon of ethical virtue in recent years.

A former governor and first lady are under investigation and an assortment of former lawmakers and state officials have gone to jail, so whatever law should emerge from this legislation should have added, in parentheses, to its title, “Do as we say, not as we do.”

For now, though, it is simply called “Local Government Code of Ethics,” and one of its primary sponsors is Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Democrat from Greensboro.

And despite charges that the proverbial pot is calling the kettle black, it does raise valid concerns. Those concerns include what is perceived as the heavy representation and influence of the real estate and development industries on city and county boards — and such legal but smelly arrangements as one county commissioner’s role as a paid lobbyist for the billboard industry.

The bill calls for at least two hours of ethics training for each local elected official within 12 months of assuming office and a code of ethics for “each municipality, county, local board of education, unified government, sanitary district, and consolidated city-county on or before January 1, 2011.”

The irony of this mandate isn’t lost on Harrison, who addressed the issue the same day former House Speaker Jim Black was being sentenced to additional prison time.

But she argued that the state has made major strides in its ethics rules and it makes sense for local governments to follow suit.

“It’s a logical extension of what we’re doing on the state level,” she said.

Harrison added that the impetus for the bill came from local citizens, especially opponents of attempts to acquire land to develop a “Heart of the Triad” near the airport. “I’ve heard from a lot of citizens in Greensboro who were concerned,” she said.

As the bill is considered in Raleigh, it also deserves serious discussion in Greensboro, which is gearing up for what ought to be a spirited (and crowded) City Council race.

This shouldn’t be that big a deal, Harrison said. “The local boards would make their own rules. This is not a very burdensome requirement.”

And, more significantly, why would anyone oppose ethics rules?

Each candidate for council should be pressed on whether he or she supports such rules and what those rules ought to be.

Some other questions council hopefuls also should address this campaign season:

Where do you stand on the council-manager form of government? Is it working in Greensboro and if it isn’t, why not?

How would you address the problems surrounding poor planning and communication for the Urban Loop that has resulted in development being approved in the path of the highway and some home buyers not knowing the road was coming?

Where do you stand on merging some city and county services to improve efficiencies and save money? Which ones should be considered and how would you help make them happen?

What should be Greensboro’s long-term plan for household waste disposal? Is reopening the White Street Landfill part of that equation? Why or why not?

What, if anything, needs to happen next to bring closure to the lingering wounds created after the resignation of former Police Chief David Wray?

One city expense you seriously question is .... ?

From “A” to “F,” how would you grade the current council on transparency and communication? Why? And what would you do to improve or maintain that grade?

Which current council member do you admire the most and why?

What community or business interests could possibly create conflicts of interest for you on the council and how would you handle them?

How long is long enough for a council member to serve? How long is too long? If elected, how long do you personally plan to serve?

Should the city manager be evaluated according a set of predetermined goals and measures?

Should the council also be graded against a set of objective goals and measures? Would you pledge to set up such a system?

And if you failed to deliver on a majority of those goals, would you agree not to seek re-election?

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Posted by Allen Johnson on Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 11:04 am

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gsostudent

July 19, 2009 - 6:18 pm EDT

"What, if anything, needs to happen next to bring closure to the lingering wounds created after the resignation of former Police Chief David Wray? "

I think the much bigger question is the multiple and repeated allegations of deep-seated institutional racism within the Police Department. The wounds that need healing in the police department are in large part connected to racist police behavior. The question, then, for candidates, is how do you propose to reform the Police Department considering all of the problems that have come to light in the past few years?

Some current Councilmen like Barber and Matheny would rather make grandstanding speeches about their undying love for the Police, but this unwillingness to deal with the nitty-gritty reality of how f---ed our Police Department is will ultimately be dangerous for Greensboro. Continued racial profiling of the community AND officers of color put us in danger of ignoring the real problems by diverting attention to a perceived threat from black officers or residents.