Ethics again discussed

Over the years we have been strengthening our Ethics ordinance to remove the appearance or reality of  any conflict between our elected / appointed officials and outside interests. Currently, we are debating whether anybody who is an official of the City of Highland Park be allowed to represent (for hire) anyone in front of the City.  Currently, Commissioners are not allowed to represent others in front of their own commission.

This debate is weighing the risks of disenfranchising qualified citizens whom might do work with the city on behalf of themselves or others from sitting and contributing within our commission system of government. The point in this action would be to take away any perception of conflict that might be caused by these dual roles commissioners might hold. Expert advice and participation in our system is a must for us to make good decisions. Can we recruit quality commissioners under a stricter code and should we disenfranchise those professional citizens that have conflicts? While these questions have not been easy for most, I side on a more restrictive option to remove any doubt or possibility of conflict.

The Council has asked Councilman Blumberg and Kaufman to dig into this one more time and report back to the Council for another discussion.