Here are Councilperson’s Rodriguez, Kantor and Gregg with Auditor Dan Miller at what appears to be an OSU basketball game. They’re all officials in Whitehall City government, elected to represent the citizens interests, first and foremost. Their gathering here or anywhere together socially is a conflict of interest. How so? Let me explain.

Let’s say you, the citizens, elect me to represent your interests, in whatever capacity; as a legislator/watching your money we took from your paycheck, whatever it may be. Now, lets say upon election I get into City Hall and start getting to know people. I and they are affable and friendly and one day one of them asks me to have a beer with them. I think, ‘We sure do deal with alot of stuff together in various forms and there’s definitely some stuff I’d like to discuss further but time at City Hall is so limited. I’d really like to pick so-an-so’s brain on that thing’, so, you see no harm in having a beer with them. Of course, beer time is not City Hall time and so, things are more casual, and chatting and shooting the bull is definitely more fun and relaxing. Within this realm one starts to feel more friendly with your heretofore professional colleagues and so more walls start to come down and you start to perhaps side and empathize and agree more and more on a variety of topics with your colleagues as individuals. Then, one day you feel downright good about them and your relationship with them. That starts to build bonds and feelings of mutual appreciation which develop into friendships which forms a conflict now between your personal relationship with your friend and your professional realtionship with your independently elected colleague. Certainly your bond with this person you’ve come to befriend is stronger than any old citizen and so then, this is where the conflict of interest begins. That conflict between your devotion and increased allegience to this person you really like and appreciate and who has your back, and that of the nattering nuisance of a citizen who ‘wants somethin’ or doesn’t like your ‘friend’. That citizen who you have no bond with and/or may have issues with you. Of course you like to think you are unbiased and will always do the right thing by the citizen but then one day your ‘friend’ is in trouble or feeling the heat or is opposing something and now they really need a friend in their corner, to back them up. Your feelings are strongly with that colleague now, not with the person or entity causing the heat or the thing ‘attacking’ him now or that he’s opposed to. Time and time again I have seen this scenario play out at City Hall. People elected to represent the citizens and their interests siding with their friends over citizens in the face of so much evidence and weight against them/their behavior/legislation, etc.

Many is the time, in driving past Councilman Bailey’s home after a meeting I have seen him and Auditor Miller sitting on the porch, near the driveway, sometimes with a fire going, sitting and drinking. One night recently, after Mr. Rodriguez made his prepared speech about Leslie LaCorte calling his absences out, I and Treva Imler drove past Mr. Bailey’s house and there was Mr. Rodriguez getting out of his vehicle with a 12-pack of beer. (Was there a designated driver?) One time I rode my bicycle past Mr. Rodriguez’ house and there was Mr. Bailey sitting with him drinking beer. They offered me one and I declined. Sittin’ around, drinking alcohol and building friendships/alliances.

This makes one wonder then about Mr. Rodriguez’ absences being overlooked by council the last 4 years. By the most recent count he has missed some 75 meetings in the last 4 years, out of 192 (That’s over a year and a half missed). The time has long since passed for him to do the right thing by his obligations to council and the citizens. However, at no time during this has council themselves chosen to do anything about this affront. If his job has gotten in the way of his obligations to the citizens and council, that which he freely entered into, then that is simply what it is but it doesn’t, nor should it be, an excuse for the rest of Council to ignore its own obligations to the citizens. Yet, their obligation seems to be more with their friend and so they’ve chosen to do nothing and remain silent, apparently allowing him to turn his back on honor and respect and obligations without themselves stepping in to do the right thing for the citizen’s sake. Time and again they make a motion to excuse him, usually led by his friends Bob Bailey and Wes Kantor. They have chosen their friend over the rightful priority of the citizens thereby helping him to take nearly $7000 of the citizens money for nothing in return. Apparently their friendship with Chris Rodriguez is more important to them than doing the right thing by the citizens.

It is important to avoid conflicts of interest that could undermine your objective judgment.

It is a conflict of interest to socialize with people you may have to disagree with when it comes time to represent the citizens. Your ability to compartmentalize your feelings and professional obligations are in question then, particularly when you go to sporting events and drink with people you then have to oppose for the citizens sake. Will they do the right thing by the citizens even if doing so opposes or hurts his ‘friend’ on Council? Is it enough to simply trust them to do the right thing with these conflicted relationships or must we demand moral and ethical accountability of those who ask to serve us? I think it is the latter. I’ve said it before and certainly enough in my campaign last year (It was in my campaign slogan. ‘Constitution and Citizens 1st!’) You are there for one and only one reason, the citizen’s. You do your job ethically, professionally and without bias, with a moral compass for the citizens and the citizens alone. It is how you show good character and trustworthiness to the public, those whom you asked to place their faith and trust in you in the first place. Anything else is ego and vanity and has no place in the people’s government.

Finally then, again, there is this;

http://votedixon.com/2015/07/04/why-ethics-in-public-office-matter/