The Ethics Court: You Be the Judge!

1. The Ethics Court: You Be the Judge! GFOAz Summer Training Susan Thorpe, Deputy City Manager Vicki Rios, Revenue Manager City of Peoria

2. Goals for today • Reinforce values of public service • Avoid the pitfalls, slippery slope and headlines of bad choices • Create an ethical culture • Draw that clear line in the sand

3. Why focus on ethics? • Critical to a thriving democracy • Building public trust and confidence in what we do • Limitations of laws and rules • No success without a focus on ethics • Your legacy of leadership

4. What is ethics? • Knowing the difference between right and wrong, and choosing to do what is right. • Commitment to the highest set of standards not the lowest common denominator…more than adherence to the law.

5. Every Day Decisions • Are my requests for expense reimbursements completely accurate? • Do I use the city or county vehicle to run personal errands? • Do I accept gifts of significant value? • Do I take long lunches/breaks and disregard work deadlines and commitments?

6. Every Day Decisions • Could my friendly relationship with the contractor cloud my judgment? • Am I careful not to do personal favors for friends and family? • Do I apply work rules in an arbitrary way because I like some staff members more than others? • Do I accept responsibility for my mistakes or blame others?

7. Crossing the Bright Line Illegal ► Legal ► “Ouch” ► Ok ► The Best Conduct ……Can you think of some-…thing that is legal but unethical? …Can you think of something that is legal but unethical?

8. Preserving the Intangibles “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you’ll do things differently.” Warren Buffett

9. Preserving the Intangibles • If life gives you limes, make margaritas. • If we weren't all crazy, we'd just go insane. • Indecision may or may not be my problem. Jimmy Buffett

10. 4 Core Principles of Public Service • Seek no favor • Build trust through transparency and honesty • Treat all equitably • Build great communities through good stewardship

11. 1. Seek no favor • Public officials receive only the stipends and salaries provided to them. • Don’t: • Leverage your official position for advantage or prestige • Take or solicit gifts related to your official position • Use organization resources for personal use

12. 1. Seek no favor The Perils of Accepting Gifts Is the gift significant enough that a reasonable person would assume it was a reward or intended to gain favor? Remember….

13. 2. Build trust through transparency and honesty • Do the right thing and take responsibility • Tell the truth • Share information openly and generously • Be alert to potential conflicts of interest: discern, disclose and disengage • Give complete, fair and accurate information • Procurement and budget decisions serve the public’s interests

14. 3. Treat all equitably • Engage and serve all people in the community • Fairness drives decisions not expediency • Fairness and merit guide all personnel matters • Respect roles and contributions of residents, elected officials and staff

15. 4. Build great communities through good stewardship • Bring a deep sense of social responsibility to your work • Be a custodian of the public trust • Develop competence in yourself and others • Contribute to a positive culture where ethical conduct will thrive • Leave your community in better shape than you found it

16. Unethical Conduct….why it happens • Uncharted territory or inexperience • Pressures in the environment • Management lapses • Personal loyalties • Personal cost to do the right thing is too high • Arrogance: the rules don’t apply to me • Lost perspective

17. Ethical Warning Signs “No one will ever know...” “I deserve it...” (or “They owe it to me...”) “They’ll never miss it...” “Everyone is doing it…” “It’s okay if I don’t gain personally” “Technically, it’s legal...”

18. The Ethical Test: Ask Yourself… • Is it legal? • Does it comply with our rules and regulations? • Is it consistent with our organizational values? • Am I the only or prime beneficiary of an offer or service? • Does it match our stated commitments? • Will I feel okay and guilt free if I do this? • Would I do it to my family and friends? • Would I be okay if someone did it to me? • Would the most ethical person I know do this?

19. Ethics in the Trenches Solving real world issues • What values are at stake? • What is the right thing to do? • Warm – Up Exercises • Case Studies

20. Ethics Warm-Up #1 Your sink is broken, so – after asking your supervisor – you borrow a pipe wrench from your City tool box, take it home and repair your sink, then bring it back the next day.

21. Ethics Warm-Up #2 You are one of the police officers with whom Leadership Class “ride-alongs” have been set. The woman assigned to ride with you will be with you until shift ends around 3PM. At 7 AM, you are idling in a parking lot looking for cars that are exceeding the speed limit in a school zone. You’ve been there a short time, explaining to your passenger that you generally start the morning by policing the school zones. A small truck goes by, substantially exceeding the school zone speed limit. You pursue the car, and upon overtaking it realize that it is a sergeant in the crime scene squad, who is evidently late for work. What do you do?

22. The Ethics Court: You be the Judge! Case # 1 – “The Good Employee” Case # 2 – “Executive Sessions”

23. 4 Core Principles of Public Service Seek no favor Build trust through transparency and honesty Treat all equitably Build great communities through good stewardship

24. The Ethics Court: You be the Judge! Case # 3 – “Investing in your future” Case # 4 – “Go along to get along?”

25. 4 Core Principles of Public Service Seek no favor Build trust through transparency and honesty Treat all equitably Build great communities through good stewardship

26. The Ethics Court: You be the Judge! Case # 5 – “The Troubled Employee” Case # 6 – “I Did It My Way…”

27. 4 Core Principles of Public Service Seek no favor Build trust through transparency and honesty Treat all equitably Build great communities through good stewardship

28. Our Leadership Responsibility • Everyone watches you • You set the tone for the organization • Champion ethical behavior • Accept responsibility for mistakes • Encourage people to ask for advice when they are unsure • Acknowledge that you seek advice, too • Appearances count!

29. Build Ethical Habits • Do a regular “values vs. conduct” check. Does my daily conduct truly support the organization’s values? • Commit to training and regular “ethics in the trenches” conversations • Be proactive in raising issues of concern or reporting potential problems • Seek counsel and advice when in doubt • Have the courage to revisit your decisions • Recognize and commend employees’ expressions of ethical concerns

30. Ethics Resources: • ICMA Training and Technical Assistance Services. Call ICMA Ethics Center, 202-962-3521 • Visit icma.org for sample codes of ethics, ethics scenarios with advice and other useful resources. • The Ethics Edge, 2nd Edition. ICMA. Soft cover. 2006. 192 pages. ISBN: 0-87326-710-9. • Josephson Institute of Ethics. Call 800-711-2670, or visit jiethics.org for more information.

31. Last Word “Always do right. It will gratify some and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain