Ethics panel needs help performing vital service

In August, Spokane City Council member Al French asked the city’s Ethics Committee to look into his work on bus bench advertising to see whether he could be deemed in violation of the city’s ethics code. He had been accused of aiding a business client. Two residents recently filed complaints against French over the same issue.

But for the second meeting in a row, the committee had to delay consideration of the item because it did not have enough members in attendance. So now the soonest the issue will be examined is Jan. 6, provided the committee can achieve that elusive quorum. French will be a former council member by the time any decision is made.

Two of the slots on the seven- member committee are vacant. It took over a year and a half to fill all the positions when the ethics code was adopted in January 2006.

This might be an opportune time to ask whether this system is working. If it’s difficult to find people to serve and if volunteers can’t reliably attend the meetings, it might be time to try a different structure. When complaints are filed, the accused and their accusers ought to be given a timely decision.

The ethics ordinance requires that appointees be college faculty members with expertise in ethics, personnel or human resources; people with a professional or academic background in law; or business people with experience in human resources and personnel.

If the requirements or structure of the commission need to be altered to get greater participation, then the city ought to consider some changes.

The ethics code was adopted in the aftermath of the Mayor Jim West scandal and was ushered in with speeches about the city’s commitment to ethical practices. It was long overdue, because government officials need guidance for those gray areas that aren’t illegal but might be unethical. Residents also benefit because they know there is a process through which possible wrongdoing will be examined.

The committee hasn’t received a lot of formal complaints, nor has it issued any blockbuster findings of government corruption. But it has cleared the air over some disputes. We commend those volunteers who have served as enforcers. The city also deserves credit for adopting the code. Other governmental bodies should follow suit.

The need for an objective body to enforce the ethics code is indisputable. But the commission would be strengthened if changes could end the delays in appointments and decision-making.