Ethics Discussion Group - St. Gabriel's

A City That Works - April 29, 2008

Ethics were defined broadly to include responsibility, transperancy and accountability. -- Moderator Ellen Petersen

What does this goal mean to you?

• I work with troubled youth and want to lead them by example.

• What can or should politics and ethics be like? How can we close the gap between the two?

• I am interested in character and principles. People should stick to them, but they wander from principles.

• Nutter is ethical. Will Philadelphia and its mechanisms corrupt him?

• Where are our value systems? Do we corrupt one another?

• Can we spread values instead of corruption?

Performance measures

• All policies (hiring, contracting, accounting) describe clear, reasonable performance standards, criteria, and are at the right “bar” for performance.

• There should be clear and open explanation of bid awards or policy violation and consequences. The process will include an explanation of the winner’s qualifications against the bidding specifications or hiring description.

• City employees will be encouraged or recognized for volunteering time at a nonprofit organization that serves citizens.

• An apology mandate exists for all services not delivered and is made by the appropriate party

• Requirements for people to be told respectfully and in advance when services will not be available or delivered or closed down. (E.g. recreation centers closed with no notice.)

• The mayor should be held to a FOUR-year plan, the length of his term. A five-year plan passes the buck.

• Ethical behavior (including customer service standards developed) should be made a part of the employee-performance appraisal.

• Managers should lead by example and be held to the same standards as employees (e.g. appraisal).

• Ethics will also be measured by how the city budget is allocated. Is it ethical to invest X% in stadiums vs. schools?

• Family members cannot be recruited into the same department. “If I can’t be a car dealer relative and eligible to win a Mercedes, why should a relative be eligible for a good paying city job?”

• If city money is spent, the books are open as to where it went, for what, to whom.

• Create a position called “Ethics Czar, Conscience of the City.”

• There should be an ethics oversight committee comprised of community volunteers.

• Have all employees take part in and acknowledge ethics training. It includes customer service training and communication skills building regarding tone and word choices.

• Open communication of plans and status of plans. “The failure is currently in silence.” No one talks about what wasn’t done and why.

Customer-service standards

• The group requested that the city provide weekly recycling. If recycling was not provided, then tax credits should be given back to the neighborhoods.

• Evidence of presence and availability. Employees are seen working all day, answering the phones, responding timely and appropriately to questions.

• All transactions and services are delivered in a respectful manner, on time, with a pleasant tone.

• Strategies are created to make ethics desirable and contagious to “rise the tide” (e.g. reward systems, leaders modeling behavior, consequences for those employees who don’t model and adhere to behaviors).

• “Honesty above the table”. Everything is transparent and ready to be seen on prime time television.

• A standard of accountability, customer service, and on-time delivery is the standard for ethical behavior.

• Bite off what you can chew and update the public.

• Explain and apologize for failures.

• Communicate a policy of constructive partnership with stakeholders (contractors, unions and employees). A constructive partner works along side, is respectful but not beholden to the other.