Ethics have been on my mind of late.  One reason is a hot story in Greensboro involving government, developers and stimulus funds and another story about Gov. Easley's right hand man being indicted for a multitude of crimes. The main reason, however, is the time that I'm spending on the Lewisville Planning Board.  

Tonight the Planning Board will be holding a joint public meeting with the Town Council to kick off the five year Comprehensive Plan review process.  Over the last several weeks we've been preparing for the meeting and in doing so we've spent a lot of time and energy making sure that we don't create the impression that this is a plan we're putting forward to be rubber-stamped by the citizens of Lewisville.  We want them to understand that this is their plan, their process and their recommendations to make and our role is merely to be available for feedback and, eventually, to enact what they give us.  We're painfully aware that some people think we're there to somehow game the system at their expense and to our benefit.  Whether or not there's a basis for that belief (I don't believe there is, or I wouldn't serve on the Planning Board), the public attitude towards government, whether it's local, state or federal, is one of great distrust.

Unfortunately the day-to-day business of governance is, quite frankly, boring as hell.  Want proof?  Just try and read a proposed tree ordinance and stay awake (I've tried and have yet to succeed).  That's why most people don't pay attention to governance issues and leave it up to someone else to do it for them.  That's great IF that someone else behaves ethically and in the best interest of the people, but it's trouble when that person puts his personal interests before the interests of the people.  Sadly, you can legally do that in some cases, but ethically/morally you tread a very fine line.  Let's just say the gray area is huge, and if I were to identify one area that most governing bodies could improve upon it would be in the area of creating a culture of strong and emphatic ethical governance. 

I recently came across a blog called Legal Landscapes that is produced by a partner at Smith, Mooore, Leatherwood LLP and the following quote from the post Of Bribery, Extortion and Racketeering sums up the ethical issue as well as anything I've read:

Whether a public official operates on a local, state or federal level, the precepts of ethical conduct remain the same.

In cities, hamlets, counties, congressional districts and states across the country, we entrust average citizens with great power to look after the rest of us.  The operative word is “entrust.”  An elected or appointed official is a fiduciary of that power just as a bank officer is a fiduciary of customers’ money.

The power to control the levers of government is the most sacred power a democracy bestows.  Abuse of that power is not defined by the stupidity of an official’s decisions or the repercussions of his or her actions.  Abuse of entrusted power is marked, foremost, by whether the action was intended for self benefit.

I think we have a culture of governing ethically in Lewisville, but I'm certain that there are people in Lewisville who would disagree.  That's why I think it's important to be emphatic about ethical governance. It's okay to act ethically, but I think it's better to do it and let the world know loud and clear that's how you roll.