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Neighborhood Council Power can Corrupt |
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Ethics
By Doug Epperhart
English historian Lord Acton famously proclaimed that power tends to corrupt. This is true, especially among those we choose to lead us. And it is true even in the lowly ranks of we who serve on neighborhood council boards.
 We don’t get the six-figure salaries of city officials. We don’t get
staffs or cars or even a city hall pass to hang around our necks. We do
get to campaign and go to meetings and posture for the crowd. People
sometimes recognize us in the supermarket.
Occasionally, we get to experience that little thrill that comes when we can help somebody get something from government they wouldn’t otherwise receive. As board members, we have $50,000 a year of taxpayer money to divvy up among those we favor.
Human nature being what it is, we feel special when we flash a parking pass at the city hall garage and drive down to the P-3 level. We are one of “them”—elected to lead.
Granted, it’s easier to be honest when you don’t have special interests lining up to pour money into your officeholder account or legal defense fund. But, it’s still tough to resist the flattery that comes your way from those who want something from your council.
The 1,800 or so board members are supposed to take ethics training, presumably so they know what’s ethical or, at least, legal. Based on the names listed on the DONE website, I’d guess maybe a third or less of NC board members have completed the training.
I finally got around to the online ethics course two weeks ago. It was relatively painless—only a couple of hours. If you serve on a neighborhood council board and haven’t taken the ethics training, do it now. It’s important.
Here’s a real-life example of what can happen.
There is a developer who is seeking to build nearly 2,000 condos in San Pedro. Three neighborhood councils in the area oppose his project. A fourth council has said it likes some of what the developer is offering, but does not endorse the project.
The developer recently took a run at this fourth council, seeking a blanket endorsement of his project. An intense lobbying effort on behalf of the developer involved meeting with the council members, attempting to persuade them to support the project.
The council’s president formerly served on the developer’s “advisory board,” a group advocating for the project. The council president also serves on the boards of nonprofits that have received contributions from the developer.
The council’s vice president and secretary are employed by a nonprofit that has received contributions from the developer.
Another officer currently sits on the developer’s advisory board.
Finally, a board member is employed by a union that has entered into a contract with the developer.
Even though the developer has not paid money directly to these individuals, it seems obvious that the public would perceive the appearance of a conflict of interest. This is the standard specified in the city’s ethics ordinance.
By the way, a sixth board member recused himself because of a conflict of interest created by his service as a member of the board of the local chamber of commerce, another recipient of the developer’s largesse.
At the neighborhood council meeting where the endorsement vote was on the agenda, the potential conflicts were called to the attention of the board and it was suggested they delay the vote until the city attorney could be consulted and render an opinion.
The board chose not to and considered the matter. As it turned out, they did not endorse the developer’s project, although no one with a potential conflict voted against it.
The hardest thing for those serving in public office is to say no to their friends. It’s really hard to say no to something your boss wants.
If you serve on a neighborhood council board, it is your duty to serve, not command. It is your duty to be fair to all, not favor your friends. Keep in mind, too, that the council’s treasury is not your piggy bank.
Even though the power is small, it can still corrupt.
(Doug Epperhart is a member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council governing board. He is a writer/publisher and a contributor to CityWatch. He can be reached at
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CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 68
Pub: Aug 22, 2008
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