Dear Mayor:
We all know that the actions of some local officials in
engaging in unethical or criminal conduct have made it difficult
for the overwhelming number of local officials who serve
their communities with dedication, honor and integrity.
The League
has had a long-standing commitment to the education of
local officials on ethical standards and has focused on
those issues in our programs for newly elected officials
as well as through other educational programs. We are
actively seeking ways to further enhance those efforts.
Yesterday,
several Mayors from the League's Executive Board met with
U.S. Attorney Chris Christie to discuss how the League
can augment our traditional ethics training for elected
and appointed officials and how we can draw on the resources
of the U.S. Attorney's office.
Mr. Christie
has agreed to produce some training materials that he
will provide to the League and that we can disseminate
to elected and appointed officials. Mr. Christie has generously
agreed to personally make himself or a member of his staff
available to participate in our training programs and
to speak at our Annual Conference this November. His focus
is on specific cases investigated by his office and what
officials should be aware of and concerned with as they
conduct the public business.
We were impressed
with and appreciative of the U.S. Attorney's openness
and willingness to work with the League and also with
our county and affiliate associations and any municipality
that is interested in having him or a member of his staff
present.
We will provide
more information on this in the near future. The League
has already scheduled a series of ethics sessions this
spring and we will invite him to speak at these programs.
Mr. Christie
has assured us of his firm belief that the vast majority
of municipal officials are hard working dedicated individuals
and he looks forward to working with us in our efforts
to educate all officials on the lessons that can be learned
from the recent allegations of corruption and unethical
conduct.
