Good ethics are needed to lead
An article in the Business and Farm Section of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette concerning the Arkansas River is enough to make a person cringe. The well written article by Noel Oman and printed on Thursday, June 21, 2018, refers to the hiring of a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm to “promote the river system.”
The lobbying firm, Van Scoyoc Associates, is reported to be a 25-year-old government affairs firm that boasts “a deep bench of policy experts, a network spanning Capitol Hill and the federal agencies and the know-how to achieve results.”
Coming on the heels of our recent political scandal in Little Rock, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the thought of paying people to “get results.” From my understanding of the situation, a lobbyist for a medicaid provider found a way to obtain grants for various organizations through helping elected officials justify lowering their ethical standards. The Arkansas system of sending back discretionary grants to local entities may offer plenty of opportunity for individuals to gain more voter support, but the opportunity to accept a kick-back or bribe can always be there. I’m sure the majority of our elected officials have been exposed to opportunities to benefit personally from these and other decisions. Saying “no” in the face of this type of opportunity is what we would hope all elected officials — federal, state and local — would do when faced with the question.
There is currently an effort to “tighten” the Senate rules and it sounds a little like closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out. We continue, as voters, to be the willing, or unwilling, supporters of the major political parties. When a political party allows an individual to run using their party label, we should reasonably expect that they would have some criteria other then “electable” for their approval. One must ask oneself, do the people change once they are elected or do they have a weak ethical disposition that a lobbyist can detect if they get elected. No doubt there are some expectations when a person files to run under a particular political party’s banner, but what “examination” (if any) do they pass to assure they are “qualified” — both in knowledge of the position and ethically?
Having seen individuals jump from one party to another based on nothing more than their willingness to sign a political pledge, I wonder if the political parties aren’t mostly to blame. There is little (if any) doubt that the two major political parties want electable candidates and desire to have control over whatever political entity they are approving the candidate to seek. There is also the risk that too tight a standard might keep qualified candidates from running. Or, if the willingness to compromise is at the head of the political party, they could submit their “approved” candidate list as the only acceptable candidates.
This comes back to the political party having the nation’s interest as their highest priority — not just having their party candidate in office. It is my opinion the “party” has this responsibility but do they accept it and execute it accordingly ? Would it perhaps lead to more candidates seeking office independent of a party? Or, perhaps new political parties would arise to test the strength of the two prominent parties now in existence with their vast fundraising capacity.
When I read the article about the Arkansas River group hiring a consulting firm to lobby our elected leaders, it reminds me of how we hear Washington works. The phrase “knowhow to achieve results.” doesn’t imply a method good or bad. As we have seen in the reports coming out of the efforts of the lobbyist Rusty Cranford, “successful” results are in the eye of the beholder as are the means of achieving them. Too frequently otherwise ethical people can be drawn into a situation they soon regret. All of it reminds me of the quote that “locks (as in padlocks) are to keep an honest person honest.” The locks don’t stop the criminal-minded but they do remind an honest person of private property.
How a lawyer can be a true political servant and practice law by representing a constituent when there is a potential conflict of interest, I don’t understand. It has been my belief since my days on the Quorum Court that we need more citizen legislators and fewer lawyers at every level of government.
Many entities in northeast Benton County have benefited from the pool of funds that have been abused in the recent reports. A lot of work has gone into preparing requests for grants that have aided fire departments, city parks, etc. Fortunately not all elected persons from either party are willing to compromise their values for a few dollars. It would be nice if we could expect that from all our elected leaders.
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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch, an award-winning columnist, is a native of Benton County and has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace.