In spite of the fact outside developers are still trying to get hold of our beach project and build it “their” way, Greater Bay is suing us for their non-performance, and a handful of citizens are suggesting a passive park (the worst idea), this Commission has taken big strides in the right direction.This month we have had a meeting on the nutty contract with Palm Beach County for water and will appeal to the Palm Beach County Commissioners and their sense of doing what’s right for the people in their County who live in Lake Worth versus a few citizens who led us astray and allowed a former Commission to vote the way in which it did.
Early yesterday morning I received an e-mail urging me to get down to the PB County Courthouse and see Mary humble herself. I see no joy in hovering around like a bunch of vulchers salivating while Mary McCarty apologizes to us. I believe her sincerity. She really is sorry. Of all the Commissioners there as well as Karen Marcus, I believed Mary to be honest. To find out otherwise was a surprise but taking into consideration the culture of our politicians here it shouldn't have been. It is nothing to celebrate. She is down and broken so I should now stone her to death?
On January 28th at 5:30 there is a workshop to discuss ethics. I find it so sad that we have to make policy for ethics. The Ethics Resource Center found that 60% of government employees at all levels had witnessed violations of ethical standards, policy or laws in the workplace last year. It is a growing scourge and Lake Worth needs to strive to a standard above the bar.
During this past election, Katie and I invited Mary Lindsey to lunch. When the bill came to be paid, she would not let us pay hers. I was totally surprised, not thinking that this was anything serious as she was not even an elected official at that point and there was no way we could influence her for $5. How many politicians or those running for office do that? I mean, afterall, it was just a few bucks! Mary held herself to an extremely high standard. This is what it will take to turn around this lack of trust or uneasy feeling we have with our elected representatives…high self standards as well as an Ethics Policy.
What is at stake is to turn around the lack of public trust. We have had a lot of problems here in Palm Beach County as well as in Lake Worth in that regard. Even when there are campaign violations it always asks the question, what more hanky panky is going on…what else is that official up to? With an Ethics Policy it has been proven through a study by the Ethics Resource Center that “in government organizations with well-implemented ethics programs and strong ethical culture, misconduct fell by 60%, and the reporting of bad behavior increased by 40%.
Every Commissioner, this time, must vote “yes” for an ethics policy.
