04/22/2010 Special Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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er 3. Policymakers place long-term benefit to the public as a whole abo e all oits. considerations, including important individuals and special intere s. Ho ver, the public interest includes protecting the rights of under-represented inorPublic service involves a complex network of competing loyalties to count state, community, employer, mentors, colleagues, subordinates, family and s lf. Oft constituent interests can be satisfied without violating the public intere t, but p licy formulation requires evaluating information objectively and deciding hat is st for the public as a whole. There is no formula for the most difficult decisions. The long-range pu lic int est demands that the will of the majority be tempered by a commitment to considei- the rights and interests of minority groups, especially those who are not sufficie ly repr sented in the normal decision-making process. Elected officials have a duty to engage in dialogue with citizens, to he their ncerns and to increase their awareness of long-term efforts for the community as a w le. 4. Administrators implement policies in good faith, as equitably, economically as possible, regardless of their personal views. City managers and service providers are supposed to implement the po icies laws enacted by City Council. Not every aspect of every situation will be sp cifical covered in the law, so virtually every employee will have opportunities to mak decisi s. These decisions should be guided by an honest effort to understand and carry out the policymakers' instructions. Elected officials sometimes become frustrated dealing with a large, uni espons' e bureaucracy. Civil servants can become equally frustrated by the pass e of la s which have not sufficiently drawn on the expertise of administrators and are i practi al, contradictory, ambiguous, underfunded, or ineffective. To keep these strati s from paralyzing the organization, two-way dialogue is essential. City workers at all levels generally have personal convictions which a ect the ay they interpret and implement policies. This is proper so long as their values and atti rdes do not impede or nullify instructions from policy-makers. City workers who find their personal convictions are irreconcilably in ompati le with lawful policies should openly state their conflict, and in some cases, w thdraw rom the administration of such policies. It is not ethical to express personal co viction covertly by blocking or ignoring lawful policies. {City Code Section 1.01.140 provides a general penalty for violating ~ity Co~~ of a fine up to $500 or imprisonment up to 6 months, or both.} 5. Whistle-blowing is appropriate on unlawful or improper actions. I5',