Ethics Matter!

When the question is ethics, ICMA has answers. Can I accept that invitation to a candidate “forum”? Can I “like” that local government vendor on Facebook? Should I report suspected unethical conduct by one of my colleagues? How can I engage staff and employees in building and sustaining an ethical culture?

ICMA members and other local government professionals turn to ICMA with questions like these to keep themselves and their employees on the straight and narrow.

The Best Ethics Advice

ICMA has compiled sound ethics advice in an e-book, a collection of columns from the popular Ethics Matter! feature that appears in each issue of ICMA’s Public Management (PM) magazine. Written by Martha Perego and Kevin Duggan, these columns provide practical guidance to help public managers make ethical choices for themselves and instill an ethical culture in their organizations.

The advice in this book will help you:

  • Conduct yourself ethically as you explore, negotiate, and begin a new position.
  • Keep yourself and your organization out of ethics trouble by recognizing danger signs and taking preventive action.
  • Manage an ethical crisis as transparently as possible and in a way that preserves trust in your personal integrity and that of the organization.
  • Provide ethical leadership through your personal conduct and by communicating your expectations for conduct by everyone in the organization.
  • Navigate challenges posed by elected officials who inadvertently or deliberately wander into territory reserved by law for the manager.
  • Exercise common sense and avoid careless mistakes that can have embarrassing and possibly legal consequences.

Because the ICMA Code of Ethics is at the heart of the local government management profession, ICMA offers the e-book, Ethics Matter! Advice for Public Managers, free of charge to its members.

ICMA MEMBER DOWNLOAD (FREE)

NONMEMBER DOWNLOAD ($36)

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The Authors

Perego
Martha Perego, ICMA-CM, is ICMA’s Director of Member Services and Ethics.
   
Duggan
Kevin Duggan, ICMA-CM, is ICMA’s West Coast Director and the former city manager of Mountain View, California.

 

New, Reduced Membership Dues

A new, reduced dues rate is available for CAOs/ACAOs, along with additional discounts for those in smaller communities, has been implemented. Learn more and be sure to join or renew today!

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