County Officials Advised That Appearances Matter
CANTON - A state watchdog group recently sent a representative to St. Lawrence County to teach officials that appearances matter.
Richard H.A. Washburn, training manager with the state Commission on Public Integrity, was here to train members of the county's new Ethics Board and other municipal officials how state and local ethics rules should influence their conduct.
"It's about behavior," Mr. Washburn said Friday. "They are members of the public, but set to a different standard. We didn't give a lesson what ethics are, but what the implications are. Even if you're completely legal, but not transparent, or something doesn't look good, the press or anybody is going to ask questions. Depending on how you answer could create an ethical dilemma."
Mr. Washburn said, under state law, even the appearance of impropriety can lead to fines for a suspected violator.
"The worst thing you can do is read the law like a lawyer and look for loopholes," he said. "That's not the intent."
In rural areas where a municipality is more likely to hire a relative of an elected or appointed official, Mr. Washburn said, officials should seek one or more advisory opinions from independent sources if they are not sure whether the move could be viewed as nepotism.
"I tried to instill to them that it's to their benefit to have someone objective to ask and get an honest answer," he said. "We understand that when you're in a rural area, you have a limited pool of resources when it comes to a work force, and they may be related or know one another. You need to understand the need for full disclosure and transparency. People have a right to ask questions, and, as public officials, they ought to want to give them respectful answers."
County Ethics Board Chairman David E. Hornung said Mr. Washburn's training taught him much about the board's role. The Ethics Board has met three times since it was formed in April following passage of a new ethics law.
"He defined, at least for me, more clearly what nepotism involves and what gifts are or aren't appropriate under what circumstances," Mr. Hornung said. "In terms of gifts that organizations might provide when they're trying to do business with the county, what may seem like a trivial or silly gift may turn out to be inappropriate. One needs to be more vigilant in that regard than perhaps I was aware."
Mr. Hornung said the Ethics Board continues to ease into the process it must follow to address complaints and answer officials' questions about possible conflicts of interest.
"I think it's gone well," he said. "It's a really dedicated, interested and concerned group of people. I think they're trying to do something good here, and I hope we're on the path to doing that."
