By Erin Roman | InMaricopa.com
Conflicts of interest, gifts and favors, and passing “the headline test” were topics discussed by members of the council’s ethics task force Thursday during its second meeting.
The task force – comprised of Mayor Christian Price and Councilwomen Peg Chapados and Julia Gusse – edited a draft of Standards of Behavior created by City Manager Brenda Fischer’s assistant, Paul Jepson.
The task force was created when Councilman Alan Marchione was criticized for his behavior toward some staff members. He resigned in October.
The meeting focused primarily on the language of the document and taking out any parts not ethics-based or already in the city’s code.
The group agreed the value statement of the ethics code should be: “To build, maintain and enhance the trust of the public, staff and fellow councilmembers.”
Price said councilmembers should think about how their actions will be reflected in the media as a guideline for how to act, which he called “the headline test.”
