“The concern with potential corruption does not stop just because
the relationship has entered the bedroom.’’
For those of you who think my blog needs a little spice, this is a
good ice breaker. These are the words of Kathay Feng, head of
California Common Cause, spoken at a meeting of the Fair Political
Practices Commission, California's state ethics commission, which
has jurisdiction over local officials and employees (quoted from
yesterday's
PolitiCal column in the Los Angeles Times ). The issue was a
proposal to allow officials in a “dating relationship’’ with a
lobbyist to accept and not disclose “personal benefits commonly
exchanged between people on a date or in a dating relationship.’’
The commission is concerned about privacy. Common Cause is concerned
about disclosure. I agree with Common Cause. Dating is a special
relationship, and conflicts are all about special relationships.
Disclosure is important when there is a special relationship,
especially one that is defined only by the two people involved (and don't forget about triangles).
Since there is no exclusion of multiple dating relationships, what
is to stop a not especially clever single lobbyist from "dating" numerous
officials, of both genders? Talk about undermining the public trust.
It sometimes appears that even government ethics professionals lose
track of what government ethics is for, that is, obtaining and
maintaining the public's trust in government.
And individuals who hold a public office, work for government, or
lobby a governmental body or agency have limited privacy rights when
it comes to interactions between them. They know this when they take
these jobs, and if they choose to date, they simply have to accept
that it's not like going out with someone who does not have special
obligations to the public.
Robert Wechsler
Director of Research, City Ethics
203-859-1959
