Broadened Ethics Code sure to play well with public

An editorial from the Marietta Daily Journal on Monday, February 11, 2007

After a year in which much of the media's coverage of Congress focused on ethics issues- i.e., Jack Abramoff and the congressional page scandal - it is hoped the public has a sharper understanding of the role ethics should play in public life.

And with that in mind, it was refreshing to learn last week that the Cobb County Board of Commissioners are in the process of broadening the sweep of the county's Ethics Code.

At present, that code affects only the five-person commission itself. But Chairman Sam Olens is behind a move to draft a new ordinance that would also take in members of the county's planning and zoning commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals and the newly appointed parks bond advisory committee, the body set up to make recommendations about which tracts the county should buy with proceeds from the $40 million parks bond passed by voters last summer.

The code prohibits officials from revealing confidential information, from receiving gifts worth more than $101 and from doing anything else that would be considered unethical.

"I was alerted a couple of months ago that the planning commission wasn't subject to the ethics code, and I felt strongly that wasn't appropriate," Olens said. "Due to the emphasis put on the parks board and the (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) advisory committee, they should be subject to the same regimen as well as maybe one or two of our other boards."

The commission is expected to take up the matter at its Feb. 27 meeting, although for now the expanded code would include only the planning commission. But once the code provision is approved, it could easily be amended via agenda item to provide for the code to cover additional boards, such as the SPLOST and transit authorities, Olens said.

It's a good move, one we're sure the public will approve of and one that we hope will be copied by other political jurisdictions in the county.