The worst time to talk about forming an ethics panel is in the
middle of an ethics controversy, even thought that’s when it’s most
needed.
The worst time to talk about forming an ethics panel is in the middle of an ethics controversy, even thought that’s when it’s most needed.
Passions are too high – as they were after the last election, when Jaime De La Cruz defeated Bob Cruz by 10 votes amid a hail of legal and ethical charges.
The best time to engage in the sober reflection needed to find the best solution is when the public is apathetic. Now is such a time.
You wouldn’t know it by listening to the members of the Board of Supervisors. They seem to think that without the public stepping forward and demanding something be done, they are less obligated to pursue the issue of forming an ethics committee. That’s wrong.
We’re not letting the public off the hook. It’s dismaying to listen to all the complaining in November only to see it evaporate in July. But it’s not surprising.
That’s why we strongly urge supervisors to move the ethical ball down the field, whether or not a member of the public is carrying it.
There are plenty of good ideas out there, and a few bad ones as well. We agree with with County Attorney Claude Biddle: supervisors should have no role in choosing the members of an ethics committee or in overseeing its operation.
Now for the good ideas.
Santa Clara County created the Campaign Ethics Foundation that could easily serve as a model for San Benito County.
The CEF is a nonprofit, supported and run by private citizens. CEF commissioners are selected by a panel of retired judges. They review complaints, and if they decide that a candidate has acted unethically, by making false claims or misleading charges against an opponent, the commissioners can recommend consequences.
Those include asking political action committees, which have agreed in advance to abide by CEF recommendations, to withdraw endorsements. This often results in candidates consulting the CEF in advance of running ads to make sure they don’t get into trouble later.
The system reportedly works well.
A second, less formal, option would be to establish a relationship with the Gavilan College Political Science Department to monitor local elections, and to encourage candidates seeking office to take ethics training courses at the college.
Successfully completing the course could be a condition of endorsement for political action committees.
If this method is chosen, the Free Lance will do its part by only agreeing to consider for endorsement candidates who have taken such training and signed a pledge to campaign ethically.
The Board of Supervisors should endorse a plan and aggressively recruit individuals to take part – then step aside and let it work.
The poisonous political air in San Benito County desperately needs the kind of fresh breeze an ethics committee could provide.
