2006-12-13 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

Home

Board of Ethics Minutes - Regular Session December 13, 2006 you can see what I am suggesting. This will be draft one. As I make changes I will underline proposed additions. AL: I would like sometime to really give it a little more.... BLT: Yeah, take some time and I understand the concerns that Kendall has. The section that is really different from the state guide are those sections of specific examples and that was my personal... I have one in bold, one not, that is just changing the set up. It came from the fact that I felt people did not understand when you tell them that they cannot have a campaign activity and you cannot use county resources. They did not understand what that meant. AL: I don't think that we can assume that somebody, just because they come to work for the county understands about the county code, and this and that and the other thing. BLT: I ran into that when we had a strong disagreement over what was a campaign activity. I really felt that there wasn't an understanding. Some people thought it was a campaign activity if I am doing it for me, I'm the candidate, or I am doing for a specific candidate and am advocating for that candidate. I am saying "No" you can't do green party stuff, you can't do republican party stuff, you can't do democratic stuff, you can't even do non - partisan campaign activities unless it is a sanctioned county event. The elections office is doing specific things related to the campaigns to brief people. They are holding forum, or the county jointly sponsors some kind of brochure with the League of Women Voters of who is running for office. That is permissible. But you, on your own, cannot decide that you are going to have some kind of an event then give the number of your secretary as the contact person for that event. KS: I agree with what Ann said. I agree very strongly with the explanatory detail however to put it in writing exposes the county. If there was a class -type exposure in the orientation program that kind of stuff is more appropriate. A one -on -one example. For example on page 3, if you drive a county vehicle and take it home with you, you can drop off or pick your kids up and stop at the store to pick up groceries on the way home, well can you stop off and attend a campaign event? WJ: No, because on previous page.... KS: That is right. It says that you should not, it doesn't say I can't. Limiting the amount of interpretation in writing, I think, is a safer way to be. WJ: Unless it doesn't leave any room for doubt. Like instead of "you should not" "you may not." BLT: The reason I didn't use the word you cannot, it was not something that I found a specific case on. I did find specific cases, talking about incidental personal use, and that you could drop off your kids, you could do that kind of stuff. There hasn't been something specifically about driving the vehicle on the way home and stopping at a political event. I think it looks bad; it looks like there is an official endorsement of the county at a political event. 12