Folwell, Wood back state-like ethics rules for local officials
The state legislature has got a bill in its possession that would bring local government officials under very similar ethical standards to those state officials have to live by. The inspiration for SB473 appears to have been events such as those recently in Scotland County’s East Laurinburg and Cumberland County’s Spring Lake.
Both Treasurer Dale Folwell and Auditor Beth Wood, members of the Local Government Commission, are the loudest voices outside the legislature favoring the change.
Among its many provisions, SB 473 has prohibitions for local officials dealing with contracts if they have a conflict of interest. There are also misdemeanor penalties for violations, and felony penalties for elected officials who receive personal financial gain through abuse of power.
This bill, if it clears Jones Street, should be an especially big help in places like Pinehurst — where elected officials have recently fabricated “ethical dilemmas” to settle scores with political rivals.
As usual, Treasurer Folwell and Auditor Wood are squarely over the target in citing the need for enforceable ethical standards at local level. Most citizens do not know that counties and cities in NC are not autonomous- these jurisdictions are, instead, an extension of state government. For that reason, alone, local officials ought to be held to state ethics standards. Else, they are bound only to ethics pledges with no ‘teeth’. Innumerable local officials around the state are found guilty of DWI, misdemeanor criminal offenses, and corrupt contracting practices yet they continue to serve because of a lack of enforceable ethics standards. The citizens of North Carolina will be well served by extending the same financial disclosures and ethics board reviews to local officials that are imposed on us state officials. Kudos to Folwell and Wood!