Lexington Herald Leader: [Kentucky League Of Cities'] Conflict Is Obvious.
Conflict is obvious
The Kentucky League of Cities didn't have a policy prohibiting giving over $2 million in legal business to a law firm where the husband of League Executive Director Sylvia Lovely is a partner.
But it should have.
And, even without such a policy Lovely, a lawyer herself, should have known it was a bad practice. She should also have known that it just wasn't right to spend almost $21,000 in League money at Azur, the Lexington restaurant partly owned by her husband, Bernard Lovely.
These aren't close ethical calls. In fact, they're no-brainers.
Sylvia Lovely has spent her career, often admirably, encouraging good government and citizen involvement. Certainly as she has traveled the state she's seen the damage wrought by nepotism, cronyism and insider dealing.
And no doubt she's seen people sour on civic engagement because they thought — correctly or not — that their local government was being run for the benefit of a few insiders.
That's the thing about conflicts: Perception is reality; what people think matters. Good citizens get harder to find when there's a general perception that good government is scarce.
While the League is not a government entity, it is funded largely by fees and dues paid by governments from tax revenues. So, it should exercise the same care to maintain a squeaky-clean slate
Lovely should have known better and the board should have long ago fashioned a policy forbidding the League from funneling business to relatives of high-ranking staffers.
A policy task force recently created by the League's executive board is supposed to address this and other issues that have arisen since the Herald-Leader began investigating the organization.
The board can take a huge step toward restoring faith in the League by moving quickly to establish clear, firm policies prohibiting these practices.
By the same token, leadership at other organizations seeking the public trust should examine their own policies and take action to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest.
The Kentucky League of Cities didn't have a policy prohibiting giving over $2 million in legal business to a law firm where the husband of League Executive Director Sylvia Lovely is a partner.
But it should have.
And, even without such a policy Lovely, a lawyer herself, should have known it was a bad practice. She should also have known that it just wasn't right to spend almost $21,000 in League money at Azur, the Lexington restaurant partly owned by her husband, Bernard Lovely.
These aren't close ethical calls. In fact, they're no-brainers.
Sylvia Lovely has spent her career, often admirably, encouraging good government and citizen involvement. Certainly as she has traveled the state she's seen the damage wrought by nepotism, cronyism and insider dealing.
And no doubt she's seen people sour on civic engagement because they thought — correctly or not — that their local government was being run for the benefit of a few insiders.
That's the thing about conflicts: Perception is reality; what people think matters. Good citizens get harder to find when there's a general perception that good government is scarce.
While the League is not a government entity, it is funded largely by fees and dues paid by governments from tax revenues. So, it should exercise the same care to maintain a squeaky-clean slate
Lovely should have known better and the board should have long ago fashioned a policy forbidding the League from funneling business to relatives of high-ranking staffers.
A policy task force recently created by the League's executive board is supposed to address this and other issues that have arisen since the Herald-Leader began investigating the organization.
The board can take a huge step toward restoring faith in the League by moving quickly to establish clear, firm policies prohibiting these practices.
By the same token, leadership at other organizations seeking the public trust should examine their own policies and take action to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest.
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posted by KYJurisDoctor at 7:57 AM
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