Thursday, August 19, 2010

Fort Worth Lack of Ethics

It wasn't said today (for once) but the "Fort Worth Way" is in full swing, again.  The way things are handled in Cowtown are an embarrassment.  The Weekly does a good job of putting it in perspective.  You have to see it to believe it. 

Read about  the Ethics Committee being overruled, then FIRED in the FW Weekly, then send it to your friends near and far.... 

"But the circus of doublespeak didn’t stop there.

Moncrief thanked ethics review committee members for their long service and their “interpretation” of the ethics code — and then fired them all.

After the meeting ended, I called Rebecca Lucas, one of the ethics committee members who had been dumped. She was surprised to hear about today’s appeal hearing — she didn’t know anything about it. This seemed odd to her because Moncrief had called her just this morning to tell her that she and the other ethics committee members were being canned but hadn’t mentioned the appeal hearing.

Lucas stood by the Ethics Review Committee’s original decision. When asked why she thought Moncrief fired her, she said, “The mayor didn’t give a reason, but the timing speaks for itself.”

Last month, Lucas had even predicted her fate. After the ethics committee ruled against the gas executives — or, in other words, questioned the city council’s method of doing business — Lucas told Fort Worth Weekly that her “days might be numbered.”

She was right — 21 days later she was given the ol’ heave ho.

One final thought from Lucas: While the city council is reviewing the ethics code, they might consider revising the loophole that allows city council members to have the final say on ethics violations even when they are the ones being charged with unethical behavior.

To Lucas, it seems unethical for city officials to be defendant, judge, and jury all at the same time."

No comments: