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Elected officials shouldn't gain financially from decisions they make on public issues.

That's easy enough to say but more difficult to enforce.

One step is disclosure. Greensboro City Council candidates who say they will reveal their personal and family financial interests, and call on others to do the same, are on the right track.

If economic connections are laid out for public inspection ahead of time, potential conflicts of interest can be anticipated and avoided.

Some candidates and incumbents have reservations. In fairness to them, this is late in the campaign to raise the issue of financial disclosure. The primary is less than three weeks away. Besides, there is no legal obligation for municipal candidates to reveal financial information.

There should be. Top state officials, legislators and judges are required by law to submit statements of economic interest annually. The N.C. League of Municipalities takes the position that such requirements "should apply across all levels of government." A bill filed during the 2009 General Assembly session would have expanded the State Government Ethics Act, which requires financial disclosure, to cover city and county governing body members, as well as city and county managers. The Greensboro City Council adopted a resolution supporting the concept, but the bill was shoved into a committee for cold storage.

A weaker measure was passed that requires local governing boards to adopt a code of ethics spelling out such things as elected officials' need to uphold integrity, obey laws, avoid improprieties, faithfully perform their duties and conduct public business openly. It also mandates ethics education for local elected officials, which would make sure they understand conflict-of-interest laws and other expectations for honorable conduct.

The Guilford County Board of Education already has a code of ethics, which includes some lofty ideals, such as: "Act to represent the citizens of the entire district which supersedes any conflicting loyalty a member may have to other advocacy or interest groups, or to an area from which the member may be elected."

A provision like that probably won't end up in a code of ethics adopted by either the Greensboro City Council or Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Few politicians subordinate the interests of the district residents who elect them to the concerns of the city or county as a whole.

But all should put the public good ahead of particular businesses, industries, interest groups or individuals. That's why disclosure of financial connections is more important than a pledge to abide by a code of ethics. A promise is welcome, but verification of an elected official's independence gives a better assurance that he or she is working for the public's benefit, not anyone else's.

Before the next City Council election, financial disclosure should be a requirement at the local level, too.