A long, long time ago, the Mayor, City Council, and top city staff spent a day together discussing ethics. It was January 27, 2005 – the neo Grand Jury Report era.
Michael Josephson (link), an ethics trainer, was invited to “focus on the principles of public service ethics, the role of the Mayor and City Council as elected officials and their key responsibilities in maintaining the public’s trust, including a discussion about the issues, concerns, and dilemmas.”
His report, 159 pages of powerpoint, is available on the city’s website (link). On pages 25 and 26, he specifically observes San Jose City Hall. For your ethical reading pleasure, here are his bullet points:
“1. Justified high institutional esteem –though there are classic vulnerabilities of big city government, this is essentially a clean city; the issues we should work are more about improving effectiveness and accountability than avoiding corruption.
2. High self-esteem
3. Above average levels of mutual respect
4. Increasingly unhappy relationship/attitude towards the Merc–not unusual.
5. Tendency to stampede toward perceived virtue –reforms would be more effective if part of a comprehensive and coherent ethics package.
6. No coherent, all-in-one place, easy to read and use, and regularly updated resource or program structure to help council members and city employees better understand the special ethical considerations of public service (e.g., orientation, regular training, better used advisory structure)
7. Governance practices vary from recommended models and #411 of charter. Council acts more like a confederation of states than a unified government.
8. Many Council members underestimates level of frustration and inefficiency caused by micromanagement –and few want to talk about it.”
He conveniently stopped at eight points, so you can add your own to make it a top 10 list.
An Ethical Culture – from page 20 – Michael Josephson (link)
An ethical culture is a pervasive organizational climate that promotes ethical conduct and discourages unethical conduct
9. Lying seems to happen frequently, but if you don’t get caught, don’t worry about it. Just complain about investigators and the Mercury News and it will all likely blow over – unless someone blows the whistle. If someone does blow the whistle, deny, deny, deny until you can no longer deny and then call for your own investigation. If this investigation turns up shining the light on City government – then start packing your bags and say that you are on to “bigger and better things”.
Can you check the sign in sheets? Betcha Gonzales and Guerra weren’t there.
If they were, can you check the video because they may have been sleeping?
If they were there and were awake, they are dumb and dumber.
I just found this on the Business Journal website.
She isn’t running for Mayor…Chuck, Dave, and Cindy should take a collective sigh of relief…
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/08/01/daily19.html?jst=b_ln_hl
Do we really want an official representing us who needs on the job training in how to discern right from wrong? Given the track record, isn’t this (ethical behavior) akin to one of those new tricks you can’t teach to an old dog?
Ethics cannot be legislated.
All these rules have a tendency to make good people look bad. The bad guys simply go around the rules.
There is a simple way to get ethical people in public office. Make it painful, electorally, for them to be unethical.
Based on Rich’s flawed analysis, we don’t need any laws. Those who want to steal, murder, etc. will just ignore them anyway—just make the penalty more severe. That certainly has stopped crime.
9. Remember there are rules. You have to live by the rules.
10. If you don’t like the rules it’s not fair to change the rules.
11. Government is meant to be transparent – so don’t hide things from your colleagues or the citizens of San Jose.
12. Hold yourself accountable for your actions. Remember the basics of personal responsibility – even if it stings a little. The pain goes away faster with a clear conscious.
13. Remember, it is better to spend a taxpayer’s dollar honestly than to save them a dollar deceitfully.
14. Even though you are elected by only 1/10th of the city, it is your duty to do what is in the best interest of the entire city (remember that oath of office?).
15. Even though the labor unions got you elected, try to keep in mind that they represent only a relatively small percentage of residents. Refer to 14: do what’s best for the entire city.
16. Find your old Econ book from college. Re-read it, especially the chapter on what stimulates and what stagnates the economy. Try putting these basic principles to work – you’ll be amazed that those old theories are still applicable.
17. The council is supposed to be non-partisan. Remember that next year when it is time to endorse new candidates. Beleive it or not, a two party system encourages debate and benefits the public at large. (Plus it’s no fun if all eleven of you think alike – how you going to take credit for your ideas if they are everyones?)
18. At the city council meetings, pay attention to those who speak before you. You gave your staff and the consultants many many hours to enlighten you – with only a couple of minutes to speak you will miss what might be valid input if you’re reading something else or talking to your neighbor. Don’t forget, these speakers are there to help you come to a decision – You shouldn’t have already made up your mind.
19. Remember the Brown Act – it’s still law. Look for ways to comply rather than ways to evade it.
20. Read San Jose Inside. Learn from your mistakes. Try harder. It gets easier.
I just found this on the Business Journal website.
She isn’t running for Mayor…Chuck, Dave, and Cindy should take a collective sigh of relief…
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/08/01/daily19.html?jst=b_ln_hl
TChuck, Dave and Cindy may take a sigh of collective relief but Dando really wasn’t any different in her ethical distortions…I know, I know…she represented District 10 wonderfully…that unfortunately has nothing to do with ethical breaches…Go Chamber!
Hey Wyatt—it used to be murder and stealing were a crime.
Now we have Negligent Homocide, Man 1, Man 2, Second Degree Murder, Murder, Murder with Malice of Forethought, Murder with enhanced circumstances, Conspiracy to commit Murder and if that doesn’t work we have wrongful death suits.
I’m sure there are a couple of murder counts I missed.
As for stealing, are you talking burglary, shoplifting, larceny, or fraud and all the gradations therein?
As for ethics laws, you can start with the FEC at the federal level, the FPPC at the state level, conflict of interest laws, disclosure requirement laws—even if there is no conflict, local County and City ordinances, expenditure limits, campaign limits, third party expenditures, large donor disclosures (which have their own area of ethical violations), City Charters, County Charters etc. etc. etc.
Want more laws? Over four years each Governor of California signs an estimated 25,000 new laws. This does not count all the local ordinances of the Cities and Counties or new regulations from regional agencies, special districts etc.
California has over 4,000 governments, we only have 58 counties. That does not include the indivual agencies within each government.
Want to be investigated—I am sure one of these entities will oblige.
Wow! Did someone actually pay Michael Josephson for that consultant’s bullshit jargon on ethics? You bet they did. Actually, we the taxpayers probably paid hansomely for his 159 pages of touchy-feely consultant’s jargon nonsense. We could have got better stuff from # 8 on this blog for free. Real standards in real english.
John Michael O’Connor
I agree with John Michael above and with most of 9-20, but couldn’t we reduce it to:
Do unto the taxpayers as you would have them do unto you or they will replace you.
Rich Robinson is a clown.
Question: Did the ethics consultant’s contract come with a money back guarantee? I think we got burned!
Ethics, huh? The City Council has to spend taxpayer’s money to be told how to be honest and trustworthy in office? This is absolute crap. If a politician doesn’t know what honesty is, what are we, the people of San Jose, doing voting for them? I would like to see a system that pays pols 25% less than the city employee who earns the least salary. We don’t need a fulltime council, hell most of them aren’t there most of the time anyway and we damn sure don’t need a thief for mayor, yeah, you Gonzales. I digress.
Honesty is inherent in an individual. From my vantage point, I don’t see anyone thinking about running for the office of Mayor that I would trust as far as I could see them. I would hope someone would prove me wrong in this respect but, I don’t hold out much hope.
Far to much money is involved in local elections. Limit the money and maybe we could get better candidates to run. Who, after all, wants to spend a million bucks to run for an office that will only pay what the average Union worker earns. Oh Well ! This isn’t the American way—- or is it?