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Tenet 3
Be dedicated to the highest ideals of honor and
integrity in all public and personal relationships in order that the
member may merit the respect and confidence of the elected
officials, of other officials and employees, and of the public.
Guidelines:
Public Confidence: Members should conduct
themselves so as to maintain public confidence in their profession,
their local government, and in their performance of the public
trust.
Impression of Influence. Members should
conduct their official and personal affairs in such a manner as to
give the clear impression that they cannot be improperly influenced
in the performance of their official duties.
Appointment Commitment. Members who
accept an appointment to a position should not fail to report for
that position. This does not preclude the possibility of a member
considering several positions at the same time, but once a bona fide
offer of a position has been accepted, that commitment should be
honored. Oral acceptance of an employment offer is considered
binding unless the employer makes fundamental changes in terms of
employment.
Credentials. An application for employment should be complete
and accurate as to all pertinent details of education, experience,
and personal history. Members should recognize that both omissions
and inaccuracies must be avoided.
Professional Respect. Members
seeking a management position should show professional respect for
persons formerly holding the position or for the others who might be
applying for the same position. Professional respect does not
preclude honest differences of opinion; it does preclude attacking a
person’s motives or integrity in order to be appointed to a
position.
Confidentiality. Members should not discuss
or divulge information with anyone about pending or completed ethics
cases, except as specifically authorized by the Rules of Procedure
for enforcement of the Code of Ethics.
Seeking Employment. Members should not seek
employment in a community having an incumbent administrator who has
not resigned or been officially informed that his or her services
are to be terminated.
Case Study - Public Confidence:
A City Manager has been serving for a number of
years within a City. He
recently bought a share of a towing business that operates within
the County but not within the City he is managing.
He and his partners have decided to expand their business and
are considering that expansion within the City he manages.
The Police Department has a rotating system to make calls for
roadside assistance. The City Manager and partners have decided to
submit the information needed to be placed on the City rotation
list. Since the service selected is by rotation, and the City
Manager’s Office does not get involved with determining who is on
the rotation list, it would be OK to have his company involved as
long as he has a known, hands-off position regarding the rotation
list. In addition, the manager is not involved in arbitrating issues
between the towing firm and situations in which, for example, a
disgruntled citizen was towed. |
