GOT ETHICS?Citizens Leadership Class

April 2, 2011

Session #7

WHAT IS ETHICS?

WHAT IS ETHICS?

Dealing with what is good or

bad

Dealing with moral duty and

obligations

Set of moral principals or

values

Principles of conduct

governing and individual or

group

WHAT IS ETHICS?

Ethics are the values and behaviors that would

make the world a better place, especially if

everyone engaged in them

Ethics is simply…

Doing the “right” thing....

ETHICS GONE BAD…..

8 Officials Charged in Bell, California Scandal Prosecutors are charging former City Manager Robert Rizzo and seven others with corruption and fraud tied to their lavish salaries. – CBS NEWS, September 2010 –

Irwindale city officials charged with misappropriating public funds

Four [members of the City Council] have been charged with misappropriation of public funds after they allegedly attended Broadway shows and baseball games during trips to New York to get a better bond rating for the city, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said. – San Grabiel Valley Tribune, October

2010 Mark Sanford's Emails Detail His Argentine Affair

Mark Sanford coyly sang the praises of his mistress's body and agonized over their "hopelessly impossible situation of love" in emails to the woman that emerged today, just hours after the teary-eyed South Carolina governor admitted that he had an affair. – ABC News, June 2009

ETHICS GONE BAD…..

Blagojevich Arrested

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris,

were arrested Tuesday for what U.S. Atty. Patrick

Fitzgerald called a "political corruption crime spree" that

included attempts to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by

President-elect Barack Obama. – Chicago Tribune,

December 2008

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleads guilty to felonies, resigns – LA Times, September 2008

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who gained national prominence relentlessly pursuing Wall Street wrongdoing, has beencaught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a law enforcement official and a person briefed on the investigation. – New York Times, March 2008

UNDERLYING COMPONENTS OF

PUBLIC SERVICE ETHICS

Elected Officials Hold the Power of the Collective

The actions of elected officials and staff must serve the

best interests of the community, not narrower personnel

or political interests.

Elected Officials are Stewards of the Public Trust

Elected officials and staff are stewards of the public’s

trust and confidence, and must avoid not just

improprieties, but perceptions of improprieties.

THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF PUBLIC SERVICE

ETHICS

Ethics Laws - what we must do

And

Ethics - what we should do

PRINCIPLES OF ETHICS LAWS

Three Principles of Ethics Laws

Personal financial gain cannot appear to influence

decisions

Personal advantages and perks relating to office are

illegal.

Fairness, impartiality, and open government are

essential.

Article III. Chapter 2-61: Officers and Employees

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.

Employees be independent, impartial and responsible

Public office not be used for personal gain

Public have confidence in the integrity of its government.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ETHICS LAWS AND

ETHICS

Compliance challenges with ethics laws

Complexity or breath of the law

Ambiguity of the law

Overcoming tendencies to discount the importance of

the law

Ethics laws are often just the starting point for most

ethical analysis

Teaching the law versus creating internal alarms

The law is the floor, not the ceiling

Just because it’s legal, does not mean it is ethical

ETHICAL VALUES

Ethics is based on fundamental values that we all

share regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or

background.

Trustworthiness

Loyalty

Responsibility

Respect

Fairness

Compassion

ETHICAL DILEMMAS

Personal Cost

Doing the right thing will or may come to significant

personal cost.

Right vs. Ethically Right

There are two conflicting sets of “rights” values.

SORTING THROUGH DILEMMAS

Level I: First Three Questions

Is this a right-versus-wrong situation?

Ethics involves doing the right thing

Is this a situation where one course of action

arguably conflicts with your legal obligations?

Do what the law requires

Remember, the law is only the minimum standard

Would you be embarrassed to read about your

action in your local newspaper?

SORTING THROUGH DILEMMAS

Level II: Additional Helpful Questions

Which course of action will most build/preserve the general public’s confidence in your agency and your personal leadership?

Which course of action is most consistent with your agency’s ethics code?

Which decision would your mother be most proud of you for making?

Which decision would you prefer other people in you situation to make? What should be common place?

Is one decision more consistent with the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Are there stakeholders or other members of the public who should be invited to be part of the decision making process?

SORTING THROUGH DILEMMAS

Level III: For More Complex Situations

Which ethical values are in conflict (honesty, compassion, loyalty, responsibility, fairness, respect)?

Difficult situations often involve competing sets of “right” values.

What are the facts? What are the benefits to be achieved or the harm to be avoided by a particular decision?

What are your options? Is one course of action most consistent with both sets of values? Is one course of action more consistent with a value that is particularly important to you?

GOT ETHICS?

Lead by example

Promote a culture of ethics

Do the right thing…..

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes

to ruin it.”

- Warren Buffett