dd Littleton Common: September 2009

“If you never change your mind, why have one??"


Monday, September 28, 2009

ETHICS TRAINING...IT'S A GOOD THING!


Good news for all town officials and residents! There have been some changes in the Conflict of Interest Law which all public employees are subject to; the State has mandated that each public official read the information on the website; take the "test" and certify with the Town Clerk that they have complied with this requirement. This IS good news for us, and for you. It can be a daunting task to keep up with the Law, but it is a requirment and now there is much more accountability for compliance. I have completed the training from the Ethics website, (see the text of my certificate below) and I hope every public official does the same. Accountability, ethics and knowledge, what more can you ask of your public officials?

The new Conflict of Interest Law becomes effective Sept 29, 2009. Within 30 days of that, each government member (elected, appointed, volunteer) must:

· Certify with the town clerk that they have received a copy of the new Conflict of Interest law
· Take training from the State Ethics web site, and certify with the clerk.
· Town must appoint a senior level employee to become the liaison with the State Ethic Commission.



STATE ETHICS COMMISSION RECEIPT
Conflict of Interest Law Online Training Program
was completed by: Alexander S McCurdy on Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thank you for completing the State Ethics Commission’s online training program.
It is important to keep in mind that information provided in the online training
program is general in nature and is not an exhaustive review of the conflict of
interest law. The Commission staff also regularly offers free educational seminars
at its Boston office, Room 619, One Ashburton Place. Please contact the
Commission at 617-371-9500 if you are interested in attending one of these
sessions or sponsoring an educational seminar at your facility.
The State Ethics Commission provides free, confidential legal advice about how the
law applies in a particular situation. We encourage you to seek legal advice from
the Commission at 617-371-9500 and/or your agency’s legal counsel if you face a
potential conflict of interest. Your agency may have additional restrictions which
regulate your conduct.
For additional information about the Ethics Commission and the conflict of interest
law, please visit www.mass.gov/ethics.
Educational material about the application of the conflict of interest law can be
found at http://www.mass.gov/ethics/educational_materials.html
A summary of the conflict of interest law can be found in The Top Ten Rules State
Employees Need to Know About the Conflict of Interest Law.

It really is a good thing!

posted by Alex McCurdy at 6:09 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Dejavu...all over again!


Déjàvu…it’s the feeling of having an experience all over again, but not really. Well, the faces have changed, but I, (we) have indeed seen this before. I am talking about the recent firing of Bev Cyr, the Administrative Assistant for the Board of Health.

Some of my colleagues might not agree with my statement, but that’s a frame of mind thing and we get to disagree on that. Nonetheless, I (we) have been here before.

I have been blessed with meeting many really good people in this Town; people of honor, courage who stand tall for their beliefs; people committed to holding their public officials to the highest of standards. Bev is such a person. She lives (sometimes at her own personal peril) these standards. At this meeting on August 25th, Bev was terminated from the job she loves. I want to extend my appreciation and thanks to her; she was a professional, hard working employee and was a warm welcoming face in the townhouse.

Anytime we see this type of incident, we need to ask why? You, the voters, need to ask why? What was at the core? Was it sound management, a power struggle or something in between? Were the action of public officials truly rooted in the public’s best interest or was there underling personal or political connotation?

I hope everyone knows that government is unlike the private sector; public officials have a higher standard to uphold. Their actions are subject to public scrutiny by virtue of who and what they are and who they represent: you.

Regretfully, a person has lost their job in a very public fashion. From my perspective, I want to take the opportunity to better understand why and how we can prevent this sort of thing in the future. I want to look at reforms that give you, the public, a heightened level of confidence. I invite comments from both sides of the issue. I hope they can be enlightening in two ways: What went wrong with the system and what can we do to prevent “Déjà vu all over again."

As always, the Moderator will not allow personal attacks, so let’s discuss this logically and sensibly.

posted by Alex McCurdy at 10:58 AM 10 Comments Links to this post