That's not to say that Oro Valley doesn't have any documented ethics codes. They do, buried piece by piece in various documents, one to which refer shortly.
Yes. We think that Oro Valley should have a Code of Principle- and Ethics-Centered Government; a single document that that is the sole source of information regarding the ethical behavior expected of our elected officials, our appointed officials, our employees and our suppliers or service providers.
Why?
Simply read our postingarding Commissioner Cox' rebuke of two Council Members at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The fact that the Commissioner had his facts wrong regarding the events, as verified at this week's council meeting by Dave Williams, Oro Valley Planning Division Manager, doesn't matter.
It was Oro Valley Development and Infrastructure Department that asked these Council Members to help them by supporting a change of sign code violation fines. It was not the other way around. It was Oro Valley Development and Infrastructure Department that requested the special Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to discuss this and other items. It was not the other way around.
The point is: Commissioner Cox should not have rebuked anyone at this meeting. He should not have made unsuported accusations. Especially in that he was the "chair" of the meeting. That said: Had their been an Oro Valley Code of Principle- and Ethics-Centered Government, it likely would have included rebukes of third parties as a "no-no."
Oro Valley does have something with which to start. It is called: "Considerations For Service On Town of Oro Valley Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Other Volunteer Public Bodies" (Source: Appendix C of Parliamentary Riles and Procedures Code of Conduct). The document, which is not readily available, begins to speak to the behavior expected of appointees:
"It is expected that an appointee who disagrees with fellow public officials, decisions of the Town Council, Town administration, the decisions of his or her own public body or the decisions of other boards, commissions, committees and other volunteer public bodies will do so constructively, based on facts, consistent with applicable law, and avoiding personal attacks, misleading statements or unsupported accusations." (Item 4) Seems to us that the principles stated therein should also apply to Council Members.
The effort of creating an Oro Valley Code of Principle- and Ethics-Centered Government will bring clarity of expectations to our elected officials, our appointed officials, our employees and our suppliers or service providers; because, if this document is properly developed, it will be created from the "bottom up" and the "top down". The simple exercise of talking about principles and ethics will bring about a better understanding of the behaviors we expect.
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3 comments:
Can't wait to hear Don Cox admit that he lied, but it may take awhile. Word has it that he's still recovering from smoke inhalation from when his pants were on fire.
This needs to be completed quickly!
I whole heartedly support this for volunteers/appointees & Town Council. Far too often OV citizens have been rebuked & ridiculed for expressing their views on an issue. This behavior is NOT acceptable. I hope one of the TC members champuions this idea quickly.
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