Live life as though it may make the front page of The Herald.
In other words, say creators of the newly proposed Sumner ethics codes, if appropriate behavior isn’t spelled out in clear terms, the city’s officials and employees should question whether or not they would be ashamed for 25,000 people to read about their decisions each week.
The ethics code is unusual for a city the size of Sumner and while it doesn’t act as a form of Big Brother, prying into the personal lives of the personnel, it does make some logical mandates. For example, it suggests that the city impose a $50 limit on gifts to officials. One step further, it says “if you get a gift and you like it, you had better send it back.” City employees can’t treat one citizen better than another. And, if there appears to be a conflict of interest, an employee must notify their boss in writing.
The updated code is so full of common sense, you would wonder why the city needs to spell it out. But a city fireman once negotiated a deal to purchase a fire engine from a company he was working for as a salesman, so the city has established a clear code of conduct.
The community benefits when city employes have a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what is not.
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