As the philosophers of days gone by so wisely noted, “The only thing constant in life is change.” Anyone who has worked in local government for a period of time can attest to the truth in that statement.

Whether the force of change is local, global, man-made or from nature, no two days, two months, or two years are ever the same. Constant change is the intellectual adrenaline that keeps so many “all in” to serve the public and build great communities.

While change is a constant, there is at least one issue that seems to be timeless for this profession: How to do this important work well with your ethics intact. For some, the challenge is direr. How do you put a stop to corruption in your city hall or county courthouse?

What better place to explore this issue than Kansas City, Missouri, home to this year’s ICMA Annual Conference as well as to a legend in the profession, L.P. Cookingham. As city manager for Kansas City from 1940 to 1959, Cookingham knew firsthand the determination and courage it takes to end systemic corruption of epic proportion. He also understood that there is no other option if the goal is to build a functioning city that serves all the people.

Machine Politics and Corruption

Just how corrupt was Kansas City before Cookingham arrived? For two decades, every facet of the city, supposedly operating under a council-manager structure, was run and controlled by the extremely corrupt unelected political boss Tom Pendergast. If corruption thrives when the risks are low, penalties mild, and rewards great, Kansas City was lucrative territory.

Illegal gambling was a $12 million enterprise—that’s roughly $200 million in 2016. In some precincts, ghost voters outnumbered registered voters, thus giving Pendergast control over city council elections and their choice for city manager.

A small note signed by Pendergast got you a city job. Patronage hiring bloated the payroll with both no shows and police officers who could neither read nor write. “Voluntary” payroll deductions from the police raised $78,000 in donations to Pendergast’s political party one year. No wonder crime in Kansas City at that time was worse than in Chicago during Capone’s era.

The new police chief, a former FBI agent, reported receiving $150,000 in bribes the first five weeks on the job. . . and death threats!

Cleaning House

Pendergast was eventually convicted of federal tax evasion. Cookingham was hired by a reform-minded mayor and city council whose campaign symbol was a broom. Here are five steps Cookingham took quickly to reform the organization:

Set the right tone. All employers were told “It is the policy of this administration to discourage political action among city employees. The only allegiance which any employee owes is to all the people of Kansas City.”

Build a competent leadership team. Cookingham selected all the new department directors, the former having been fired by the interim city manager at council’s insistence to rid the organization of Pendergast legacies. Not all were familiar with municipal management, but they were competent and understood for whom they worked.

Right size the workforce with the right skill set. In their first six months on the job, the new department directors fired more than 2,200 employees who were not needed, not qualified, or viewed as not loyal. That was one-third of the workforce.

Be a good steward of public resources. Existing contracts were reviewed and renegotiated to the city’s benefit. All future purchases were subject to competitive bidding. The practice of buying concrete from a company aligned with the former political boss ended immediately.

The prolific assignment of city vehicles to staff for their personal use ended. City vehicles were allotted based on need, and personal use was prohibited. Even the city manager declined the use of a city vehicle.

Don’t compromise your principles. Despite dramatic reductions in force, Cookingham was under significant pressure from the new council to move faster to clean house. The directive was to rid the place of all Pendergast cronies and to do it quickly!

But not all the employees were bad. Cookingham stood his ground, methodically explained why the current workforce met the city’s needs, and eventually got council’s support. The day he met with council, he brought along his letter of resignation just in case he didn’t prevail.

Fight the Good Fight

The U.S. in particular has a long and rich history of corruption both in the private and public sectors. It has taken new laws, enforcement, and an army of Cookinghams over the past 100 years to build transparent, accountable, and well-functioning local governments. That effort by any measure has significantly reduced systemic corruption.

Yet, damaging episodes of individual acts of corruption occur often at the highest level. Should we just regard corruption as a shared human condition to be tamed and corralled but never eliminated? Or do we pledge to try harder?

In memory of L.P. Cookingham and many other leaders, please try harder. Work to strengthen your culture. Be vigilant in strengthening your processes to reduce the likelihood of bad acts. Trust but verify the integrity of your staff.

Consider introducing “frauditing” to your standard operating procedures. Install a third-party confidential mechanism to encourage staff and residents to report wrongdoing.

Engage law enforcement when the situation merits. Independent prosecutors who follow the facts and the law are important allies.

Lastly, remember that you set the tone. Make sure your personal and professional conduct meets the highest standards.