Ethics Reforms, Weak knees

Weak knees

Serious ethics and lobbying reform are in peril, as lawmakers on Jones Street seem reluctant to take medicine they need

EditorialThe News & Observer7/16/06

There are more brickbats than bouquets for North Carolina's General Assembly members when it comes to their weak-kneed attitude toward ethics and lobbying reform. Yes, a tiny amount of time remains for real reform to happen, but don't bet the farm on it. In fact, don't even bet pocket change on it.

Oh, bows will be taken for some reform measures, such as the prohibition on legislators being able to use campaign funds for personal expenses. That should have been enacted years ago, because it's preposterous on its face that someone who solicited money for a campaign should then be able to turn around and buy a car with the leftovers. So sure, it's good that such a lackadaisical policy has been changed. It is not, however, a world-beater of a reform.

How about the reforms suggested by state Ethics Board Chairman Robert Farmer, a former judge and legislator? Farmer wanted an independent board to review ethics complaints against lawmakers. But legislators have opted instead to police themselves, at least so far. Uh, huh. Don't you know that will be a tough review. And Farmer also wanted a ban on lobbyists raising campaign money, a policy in effect in several other states. But that wouldn't fly on Jones Street -- constitutional concerns, you know.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying Reform had a good list of goals, from the independent ethics board to a ban on contributions from lobbyists to a ban on special provisions (money slipped into the budget without debate) to other procedural measures to keep government open. But chances are that more of those goals will be missed than reached, House Speaker Jim Black in effect brought this fuss about. He figures in investigations involving passage of the state lottery, his campaign fund-raising and the activities of his former political director, Meredith Norris. Black made a great show of endorsing reforms, and indeed the House has done some good work. There are any number of legislators who understand what's at stake and want to do the right thing.

But a lot of proposals are just lying around, with the Senate having become a bottleneck. Citizens couldn't be blamed if they thought at this point that all the chest-pounding about the need for ethics reform was mostly for show.

Legislators should not leave town without doing what Farmer wants done, and without acting to curb the influence of special-interest groups and the ridiculous goodies that lobbyists provide. In short, they must act to lessen the justifiable public impression that lawmakers listen first, last and always to big money ahead of the public interest. If they don't -- well, they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Failure to enact strong ethics policies and lobbying reform (though we're really talking about reforming legislators' penchant for holding their hands out to lobbyists) will represent confirmation that the ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly think of themselves as a ruling class, entitled to all they can get. And that, without question, will undermine all of what they do and the credibility of the institutions of which they are part.

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