Leaders must work to rebuild public’s trust in government

The public’s trust in our government and political institutions is a critical and delicate resource, one that must be actively cultivated and carefully tended. In a democracy, the public’s trust lends legitimacy to the actions of elected leaders and governing bodies, allows those in power to take on pressing issues and offer real solutions, and provides the freedom to be creative and forward-thinking. It is therefore deeply troubling that we live in an era defined by serious challenges, disruptive change, and at the same time diminishing public trust in government.

According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans who trust the federal government “always” or “most of the time” to do the right thing is near historic lows (currently 17 percent) and has only eclipsed 50 percent a handful of times since the 1970s. Thankfully, this level of distrust does not permeate every level of government — a 2018 Gallup poll found 72 percent of adults trust their local government.

I believe political leaders at all levels of government must be focused on regaining or retaining the public’s trust, beginning with ensuring that elected officials are held accountable, that the work of government is done transparently and effectively, and that elections are fair and competitive. This year in Dutchess County, we have committed ourselves to this

mission. Earlier in 2019, after months of work by a citizen-led advisory committee, we enacted major reforms to our local code of ethics — strengthening our board of ethics; enhancing our financial disclosure requirements, including the disclosure of outside income for county officials and members of their household; establishing a clear recusal process to avoid conflicts of interest; and prohibiting elected officials from compelling political work from their employees. To help reinvigorate our democracy, we set term limits for county legislators and the offices of comptroller and county executive.

To cap our year of good-government reforms, on Oct. 3 I signed a local law establishing a truly independent redistricting commission ensuring legislators will not be drawing their own districts after the 2020 Census.

These reforms passed with broad bipartisan support — representing a step forward in our efforts to strengthen the essential trust between the public and government.

Public trust has real effects on public policy. Mistrust can reduce compliance with regulations, laws, or guidance. A lack of trust can also lead to risk aversion, gridlock and shortsightedness. It can make lawmakers and leaders think small in a time requiring big ideas.

I was left wondering this summer, with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission: Could our nation accomplish something so awe-inspiring and imaginative without the trust of the public? It is hard to imagine we would have the confidence in our leaders to reach for the stars and shoot for the moon. While trust cannot be raised like revenue, it is the currency we use to do big and great things.

It is the job of government and political leaders to build and foster a healthy relationship with the public by doing the right thing, not some days, but every day. More should follow what Dutchess County has done to ensure that public officials are held accountable, that the work of government is free of malicious influence, and that our elections are fair. It is a small step, but if we take it together, we can regain the precious commodity of public trust. We all know the impact one small step can have on our nation.