During this decade, legislators overhauled the ethics code for public officials, toughened lobbying laws and instituted new public-disclosure requirements.
The scandals surrounding former Gov. Mike Easley demonstrate, however, that to fight public corruption in North Carolina, more work must be done.
Important ethics bills remain before legislators in this session's closing weeks. Although some legislators prefer to wait until more is known about the Easley investigations, the need for some immediate changes is obvious.
Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Raleigh, is trying to create a mediation mechanism for the citizens who are denied public records. Her bill would create an independent body that would handle an appeal of an agency's decision to not release documents.
Local governments are opposed, and we are not surprised. Opposition to strong public-records and open-meetings reforms always emanates from municipal and county officials, who fear the added cost and inconvenience of compliance.
One area lacking in recent reforms is a strong effort to make city and county officials actually obey the spirit, if not the letter, of open and ethical government. By passing Ross' bill, the legislature would be making an enormous statement that government at all levels must be more accessible. Nothing in the Easley investigations need be decided to make that issue any clearer.
Another deficiency in law is the lack of a requirement that every municipality, county and board of education have a written ethics policy and that their elected officials be required to undergo ethics training. A bill to do so is on the verge of becoming law, needing only full Senate approval in a vote scheduled for today, followed by Gov. Bev Perdue's signature.
It is clear that Easley traveled extensively at the expense of corporate interests and that a car dealer gave him sweet deals. Legislators need not wait until it is determined whether anyone broke a federal law before they ban future acceptance of expensive gifts by our governor and other leading officials.
Another bill would ban state vendors from making campaign donations to candidates who, if elected, would have influence over their business. This is a no-brainer; pay-to-play must be made illegal.
North Carolina has long enjoyed a reputation for honest government. Unfortunately, as we have seen, that reputation was not totally deserved. In part, ethical problems in government developed because our laws were too weak to stop what are some inherently unethical practices.
More reforms are needed, both before and after the full disclosure of any criminal evidence against our former governor.
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