Wasilla task force to tackle ethics

WASILLA - When it comes to setting a standard for ethical behavior, keep the politicians out of it. That was the message one local resident Monday prior to Wasilla City Council giving the green light to create a new Ethics Task Force.

Mary Kvalheim was an original member of the Mat-Su Borough Board of Ethics and applauded Wasilla's efforts to draft some minimum guidelines for how to measure acceptable ethical standards. Her biggest suggestion - the task force should be made up entirely of city residents, not council or city staff members.

"I really feel that all of you people are very personable and persuadable, because you are, and as politicians you have that knack," she said. "So, I don't think council people should be involved in the ethics board. I think you need to step aside and let the city's residents make up their own minds how to set this task force."

In the end, the council agreed, unanimously passing an ordinance to create an Ethics Task Force charged with drafting ethical guidelines for the city and bringing those recommendations to the council.

It's the second time in less than five months the council has considered creating a task force. The council voted in September 2011 to approve an ordinance sponsored by councilwoman Colleen Sullivan-Leonard to create a task force. Her ordinance also required council members and city department heads to sign acknowledgement statements they understand the city's minimum ethical guidelines.

While that ordinance was fueled by good intentions, councilwoman Dianne Woodruff said there were some legal loopholes that needed to be closed. She also agrees with Kvalheim and amended her Monday proposal to stipulate the new Ethics Task Force be made up of five city residents, with city clerk Kristi Smithers serving as the group's secretary. Woodruff, a two-time councilwoman, said it's past time for Wasilla to draft its own ethics ordinance.

"We need a task force that's going to do what the borough's task force has done," she said. "There was a group of people what went through a number of resources and produced a good draft update of the ethics guidelines for the borough."

Ethics isn't a new topic for the council. It was a hot subject in 2008 during the administration of former mayor Dianne Keller, who was taken to task by the council for the city's dealings with a land developer.

"We have talked about it before, and it's obviously high time we did something with it," Woodruff said. "The rules need to be clear for everybody. It doesn't do any good to know something's unethical if you can't really do anything about it. What are we allowed to do about it? Right now, not much."

Presently, the only thing that guides the council and staff is a conflict of interest clause on city policies, she said. And that's only specific to dealings that have a "significant" financial interest with the person.

"We did bring this up before and even had a couple of drafts, but as it went on things got thrown out that there wasn't enough left in there to go forward with it, in my opinion," Woodruff said.

One of the main reasons besides setting a baseline for acceptable ethical behavior is to add some accountability to the process when those standards aren't met, she said. What those consequences could be is one of the things the new task force will recommend. The new ordinance and task force is a good step for the city, Woodruff said, adding she's glad Sullivan-Leonard started the ball rolling back in September.

"I'm certainly glad she brought it up again," she said. "I think it's time. We don't want to have the foxes watching the henhouse. Let's let the members of the public do that."

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.