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Note to the D.C. Council: that’s no way to pass a code of ethics!
By Lauren | September 25, 2009
D.C. Council member, former mayor and chronic bad boy Marion Barry has been in the news again. Seems Hizzonner may have played things a tad fast and loose, allegedly awarding a government contract to his then-girlfriend instead of ensuring that the best contractor won. The story hasn’t played out yet but, for those of us who would much prefer to remember Marion Barry as a courageous champion of the civil rights movement, this latest escapade is just another unsurprising disappointment.
What has raised some eyebrows is the D.C. Council’s apparent reaction to Barry’s reported faux pas. The Council hastily pushed through “emergency legislation” to enact an ethics code. (It’s hard to imagine why they thought such haste was needed - after all, Barry’s alleged misconduct occurred months ago.) Then, once passed, the new code proved to be little more than a compilation of existing laws and requirements so obvious one would have thought them unnecessary. Do Council members really need to be told to refrain from “using their office for private gain” or giving “preferential treatment to any person”? Shouldn’t anyone elected to public office know better than to participate in matters that result in a “loss of confidence or impartiality”? Why the incredible rush to adopt something so utterly mundane? And why, for Heaven’s sake, is the Council denying that Barry’s latest missteps inspired the new legislation? It’s not as though anyone doesn’t know that the Council had no code of ethics in place when Barry reportedly went back over the line.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m a great believer in codes of ethics, and I think the Council should have had one decades ago. But there’s a lesson here for businesses who care to hear it. Rushing to put a half-baked code of ethics in place shows that you’re more interested in impression management than in getting it right. Develop the best code of ethics that you can, taking the necessary time and care to develop something you can be proud to follow. And if you’re doing it in response to a publicized ethical lapse, be honest and accountable enough to admit it. Ultimately, you’ll be far more credible.
Topics: Business Ethics, Social Ethics, business communications, corporate responsibility, ethics |
October 5th, 2009 at 1:09 am
[...] presents Note to the D.C. Council: that’s no way to pass a code of ethics! posted at The Business Ethics Blog, saying, “The D.C. Council’s reaction to ex-mayor [...]