Op-ed: Municipal Ethics Boards for Good and Evil

Ethics boards in Chester and Deerpark provide an informative contrast.

By David Ofshinsky

The Orange County District Attorney’s office recently completed a review of  allegations that former Town of Chester Supervisor Robert Valentine used his position to benefit his family business. No overt signs of criminal activity were found and the matter was referred to the town ethics board.

However, municipal ethics policies and boards, though vital, are at times misunderstood and neglected. This results in differences in how local towns manage their ethics issues.

Nevertheless, the DA’s suggestion could work in Chester. In 2005 the town fully replaced its ethics code that dated from 1970, and they amended the new code in 2022. The code details standards of integrity and impartiality expected of the town’s public officials and employees in an effort to maintain public confidence and trust in the town’s government. Definitions and standards of conduct are clear for conflicts of interest, voting conflicts, gifts, employment restrictions, nepotism and political activity. Procedures are provided for reporting and enforcement, and penalties range from reprimand, suspension, and dismissal to fines of $500 - $1,000 and imprisonment of up to 72 hours. A page on the town’s website is dedicated to the Ethics Board, listing members and providing information on how to contact the town about an ethics concern, along with a link for easy access to the ethics code.

In contrast, the Town of Deerpark recently scrapped an effort to update its half century old ethics code. A bare bones relic with one addendum in 2000, it stems from the 1970 requirement by New York State for municipalities to have ethics codes and boards. As such, it offers minimal guidance on the handling of ethics matters.

The town’s Ethics Board has apparently been inoperative for many years. The town’s website only lists one name for the Ethics Board, and emails to the address listed for inquiries on ethics matters get no response. Minutes or mention of Ethics Board meetings are absent. The Ethics Code is difficult to locate on the website, and even town officials have had difficulty finding it.

While the Town Board is making an effort to fill the two vacancies on the Ethics Board, their efforts regarding municipal ethics appear to be half-hearted. In making the motion to kill the revised ethics code, Councilmember Alan Schock declared that no changes were needed. At a Town Board meeting, he said he couldn’t recall any ethics issues arising in the town, and he ignored the possibility of future issues. He said that residents’ concerns about ethics are merely their own opinions. 

Good ethics policies and boards set standards for integrity and impartiality for public officials and employees. These standards aid public confidence and trust in their local government. They benefit everyone by helping to prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary legal issues in the community.

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