Ethics task force discusses conflict of interest

Conflicts of interest, gifts and favors, and passing “the headline test” were topics discussed by members of the council's ethics task force Thursday during its second meeting.

The task force – comprised of Mayor Christian Price and Councilwomen Peg Chapados and Julia Gusse – edited a draft of Standards of Behavior created by City Manager Brenda Fischer’s assistant, Paul Jepson.

The task force was created when Councilman Alan Marchione was criticized for his behavior toward some staff members. He resigned in October.

The meeting focused primarily on the language of the document and taking out any parts not ethics-based or already in the city’s code.

The group agreed the value statement of the ethics code should be: “To build, maintain and enhance the trust of the public, staff and fellow councilmembers.”

Price said councilmembers should think about how their actions will be reflected in the media as a guideline for how to act, which he called “the headline test.”

Fischer agreed and said a good question to ask is: “Would it create a headline that would reflect positively upon the city or negatively?”

The group also discussed how to handle gifts or favors to staff and councilmembers that could be perceived by the public to impact a member’s decision-making.

“I think it’s a good thing for the public to know; we want to address it,” Price said.

Gusse asked what items would be appropriate to accept.

“We got a calendar from the Historical Society at Christmastime, that’s a gift,” Gusse said. “Do I have to refuse that?”

In response, task force members agreed to limit the value of gifts to $50; anything more than that would need to be refused.

The group discussed at length how to ethically handle conflicts of interest of individual councilmembers.

Price said a distinction needed to be made between recommending a company that would be a service to the city versus encouraging staff to favor one company over another or ask councilmembers to vote for the company.

“I’m advocating for that company, I’m advocating for a citizen, I’m advocating for a local business, which I think I’m supposed to do, but it stops once I pass it off,” Price said. “I shouldn’t be in there pressuring the city manager.”

Price used Gusse’s veteran-status as a hypothetical example of a conflict of interest.

“Let’s say councilwoman Gusse is very vehement toward the veterans and something comes along where the city is going to help them out with something,” Price said.

Gusse said, as a veteran, she would benefit from that. Chapados, however, said it doesn’t matter because being a veteran is part of who Gusse is regardless of her council status.

“That’s just one of the things that makes you who you are,” Chapados said. “You would not benefit because you are a councilmember.”