A solid minority

So here's the roster for the new ethics committee Mayor Al of the City of Monroe set up. For some reason, the Mayor decides he needs this now, though in 12 years in office previously it wasn't really necessary. The belief is, I guess, that the most recent Mayor (Iacoangeli) started talking about ethics because it was just going to be a ruse or a tool to play politics with future appointees or department heads he didn't favor.
So it's admirable that Mayor Al would follow through on this idea. But his appointments seem to guarantee that any policy devised merely will assure business as usual when it comes to so-called "ethics" in city government.
Let's take a look at the players:
Sue Wetzel: This former city councilperson will head the group. She did not run for re-election because her bosses at the community college feared she would have periodic conflicts of interest doing city business. Apparently no one thought of that -- including herself -- when she first ran for office. And apparently no one figures she'll have a conflict -- including herself -- heading up a city ethics committee.
Assistant city manager Ryan Solomon: Hey, wasn't this the same guy who got caught posing as a reporter so he could infiltrate a gathering of disabled citizens who were suing the city over handicapped accessibility? Or was that just someone impersonating him?
Kathleen Costello: She's a real estate agent. Word is she has no ethical questions in her past.
Former County Judge Paul Braunlich: As a judge, no one openly questioned his ethics.
Hospital boss Daniel Wakeman: Heard no one complaining about his ethics.
Councilman Ed Paisley: Poor Ed has been smeared with all sorts of unfair allegations in recent years by gossipers and rumor-spreaders. Man, if I was him I would have sued someone and been retired by now. Forget those issues though. Should the city council really place someone on an ethics committee who is being investigated by the state police for being part of a closed meeting?
DTE's Doug Gipson: No problem here, unless you consider it unethical to earn your livelihood by running a nuclear plant that some would argue puts most of southeast Michigan at risk.
So that's it. A committee that's pretty well balanced between people with ethical issues and a solid minority who don't seem to bring such baggage with them.
Can't wait to see what kind of policies they might come up with.
One thing the group might want to remember is that a good ethics policy prevents situations from developing that would lead people to perceive a conflict, even if there clearly is no conflict.
Good luck with that.