2014_1112_Ethics Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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A. The Basics of Government Ethics Government ethics is not about bein8 "good" or "a person of integrity." It's not something officials learn at home, at school, or in their house of worship. In fact, conduct that is praiseworthy outside of government, such as helping a family member get a job or returning a favor one has been given, is considered wrong in a government context. Government ethics is about actin9 responsibly and professionally, as a government official or employee, under certain circumstances and following certain rules and procedures. It is about preserving institutional rather than personal inte�rity. Government ethics decision-making should be just another professional routine. For the purpose of government ethics, "ethics" does not mean the field of study concerned with being or doing good (the word's usual meanin�). The word "ethics" means the area of decision-maldng invol�ing conflicts between, on the one hand, the obligations government officials and employees have toward the public and, on the other hand, their obligations to themselves and their family, their business associates, and others with whom they have a special relationship (what are known as "conflicts of interest" or, simply, "conflicts"). Government ethics involves not only the reality of these obligations, and of the underlying relationships, but also the appearance of these obligations and relationships. Government ethics laws provide minimum, enforceable guidelines to facilitate the handling of conflict situations. Government ethics programs pro�•ide training and advice to further facilitate the handling of conflict situations. Government ethics programs also require financial and relationship disclosure, which provides information to help the public, as �vell as officials, better determine if conflicts might exist, so that they are more likely to be dealt with responsibly . The principal goal of a local government ethics program is to further the public's trust in those `vho govern their communities to put their personal interests aside in favor of the public interest. Without this trust, people tend not to participate in their government, even as voters, and they feel as if their government was something apart from their community, an organization designed to benefit its members, rather than an organization that serves and manages the community. It is important to recognize that the opposite of trust is not distrust, which we need in order to keep our representatives accountable, but a lack of trust. A lack of trust causes 4