Community Voices by Mayor Steve Tate: Ethical values of public officials, residents make an exemplary community

Published in the March 16- 29, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Steve Tate

Steve Tate

Elected public officials at all levels of government are held to a higher standard. They are expected to be role models and provide leadership aimed at improving the lives of those they serve.

Recently we have seen many examples of discord and dissension between members of governmental bodies, again at all levels of government. Here in Morgan Hill, those of us that govern at the city level are very proud of our conduct and believe that we truly are an exemplary local government.

Back in 2004, the city council appointed a task force of council members and commissioners to develop a council policy establishing an ethics code. Many months of discussion and examination of other city’s policies ensued culminating in the adoption in early 2005 of an ethics code incorporating five core values:

Honesty — being honest with ourselves, the public and others. Other considerations under honesty include making unpopular decisions when in the best public interest and simply being trustworthy — doing what you say you will do.

Responsibility — not compromising our independent judgment, not accepting large gifts or special considerations, using merit-based processes for awarding contracts and assuring only proper uses of city assets.

Fairness — Supporting the public’s right to know about and participate in city business, being impartial and making decisions based strictly on merit.

Loyalty — respecting confidentiality where it is appropriate, not representing my own opinions as city positions and generally being totally supportive of the city.

Respect — treating all people we contact with patience, courtesy and civility. Coming to meetings prepared and on-time. Listening and gaining value from diverse opinions; building consensus where possible. Attuned to and caring about the needs and issues of everyone.

This ethics code is something we are committed to and strongly emphasize. Every year, every council member, commissioner and city employee is required to sign-off on their acceptance of the code.

We also believe that these ethical values are integral to the values of the Morgan Hill community. The community has several more obvious values — we are caring and supportive of each other, we value our youth and our seniors, our safety is very important to us and we are an active community that loves to recreate and maintain good health. These values, coupled with the five core ethical values make us an exemplary community, one that shines and for which all of us can be proud.

The city council meets two or three times a month and we take our meetings very seriously. They are the forum in which we can demonstrate ethical behavior and be a model for the community. We listen carefully to staff and the public, respecting differing opinions and striving to understand different perspectives.

We also believe that our ethical conduct during meetings leads us to better decisions and better policy. Frequently one of us will thank a colleague for giving a differing perspective, thereby clarifying issues or providing new options or even changing their minds. While there is frequent disagreement, there are never grudges, bad feelings or carryover to other matters.

These are not the ethics of five individual elected officials, but rather the collective ethics and values of a community. Morgan Hill is a great community because it is a community of caring, respectful, committed people. While we have some differences among us, we have more in common. Our community is made up of many role models who should be held to high standards. These include spiritual leaders, coaches, scout leaders, and teachers, as well as city council members and school district trustees.

We don’t claim to be perfect by any means. We do promote our ethics code frequently so that we will keep it in focus and hopefully can keep improving in terms of ethical behavior. We are proud of our code, we strive to follow it, and we encourage community adherence to its values.

This column was written by Mayor Steve Tate with input from council member Larry Carr and support and approval from the entire Morgan Hill City Council — Marilyn Librers and Gordon Siebert as well as Mayor Pro Tem Rich Constantine.