ICMA’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by fostering professional management worldwide, and ICMA recommends that all members of the local governance community subscribe to ICMA’s Code of Ethics. Originally written in 1924, ICMA’s Code of Ethics stands today as a definition of the principles that serve as the foundation for the local government management profession. By extension, a key leadership responsibility of professional local government administrators is the promotion of an ethical culture in the work place.

To help inform your understanding of ethical action, I have compiled the following list of resources that highlight ethical culture in the management community:

• On the Knowledge Network’s Ethics topic page, you can engage in conversations with your peers about best practices in the promotion of ethical activities.  Here you’ll find useful answers to members’ question related to inebriation at official functions, the appropriateness of designating a successor, and soliciting audits from organizations that receive funding from the municipality.
• Read “What To Do When the Ethical Dilemma Involves Your Elected Official” for information on how to react to questionable activities in your locality.
• Read “For Whom the Bell Tolls - Questionable Practices Harm Everyone” for an insightful explanation of the need for ethical standards in the management profession.
• ICMA’s Executive Board acts as the arbiter for cases related to unethical conduct by ICMA members.  You can read about their recent recommendations in Martha Perego’s blog post. Martha is ICMA’s Director of Ethics. Want to know how the Executive Board arrived at these decisions? Read their standards for enforcement.

If you have questions about whether a matter warrants formal review by ICMA or need confidential advice on an ethics issue, please contact Martha Perego, ICMA Director of Ethics (202-962-3668 / mperego@icma.org) or Jared Dailey, Program Manager (202-962-3557 / jdailey@icma.org).

I hope that these resources help you and your staff serve your communities in the best way possible.

Aloha,

James Davidson

ICMA's Knowledge Network Intern

jdavidson@icma.org