The Animal Farm
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This line for George Orwell’s book Animal Farm crystallizes how I believe we, as elected officials, should conduct ourselves. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.
We, as Councilmembers, are not owed trust by the people that elected us. We instead have to prove that we are worthy of the confidence the electorate has placed us. We must bend over backwards, day in and day out, to remove all appearances of conflicts of interest. Any hint of self-dealing cripple’s the Council’s credibility when tough and controversial decisions must be made.
Tags: City Charter, Conflict of Interest, Ethics