TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! PUCK PONDERS THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KANSAS CITY'S MUNICIPAL ETHICS COMMISSION!!!

(TKC NOTE: Today we are lucky to have one of the best posts that our special guest Puck has ever written offering an AMAZING perspective on one of the least understood aspects of Kansas City local government: The Municipal Ethics Commission)

Puck… starring as Nancy Drew in The Case of the Missing Municipal Ethics Commission

Puck has read all of the Nancy Drew books, so he’s a bit of an expert on amateur detecting. And though his tresses aren’t titian, as are Nancy’s, Puck’s noggin is pretty nice when it comes to solving mysteries. And the missing Municipal Ethics Commission is a case that definitely needs solving.

You might be asking yourself, dear readers, what IS the Ethics Commission? This would be a legitimate question, as they haven’t made an appearance in some time. In theory, the group is made up of seven individuals, hopefully competent and qualified, who have the power and DUTY to render advice and opinions and to INVESTIGATE and REPORT on allegations of violations of the City’s charter AND ordinance provisions concerning CONFLICT of INTEREST and FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE BY CITY OFFICIALS.

Sounds pretty easy to understand, doesn’t it? These appointees are selected by the mayor, and six must be from different council districts. The chair is also appointed by the mayor. A term is five years. Simple to grasp, so far.

So who ARE these appointees? The list includes: Lajuana Counts (chairman), Jay Stock, Mike Roach, Dan Porrevecchio, Marsha Campbell, Opal King, and Will McCarther. It appears from the City Clerk’s website that Roach, King and McCarther’s terms EXPIRED September 30th of LAST YEAR. Perhaps no one has noticed, since the group never seems to meet anyway.

Do you recognize any of these names, readers? Counts was on a short list to be picked for municipal judge, but failed to make the cut. Jay Stock is reportedly a decent guy. Dan Porrevecchio is tight with Becky Nace, but is definitely his own person. Marsha Campbell is a former two-term representative to the Missouri House, so she must have seen some ethical lapses up close and personal, and would hopefully be able to I.D. some around here. Opal King doesn’t show up on radar but is said to be a good gal. But Will McCarther… now HE has a little story. His is a big buddy with Emanuel Cleaver, and has the distinction of being one of the few, if not the only, person whose salary is PAID BY A TIF! The HCA TIF, which is the same one that was marked for the Citadel, puts the WAM in McCarther’s pocket each month.

These bodies are all warm so they should be able to meet. And they do have reason to meet, in the form of Ordinance #080152, passed in February 2008, which mandates that EVERY audit completed in KCMO MUST BE SENT to the Municipal Ethics Commission for their consideration and review. This ordinance was passed, coincidentally, just following the PERFECT OUTPUT FIASCO. The impetus? To take the burden from councilpersons from having to turn in “one of their own” and to force an objective (or supposedly objective) body (read: Ethics Commission) to police the council. The ordinance passed 11-Zip on Feb. 21, 2008.

Your smooth sleuth, Puck, was able to determine that the PERFECT OUTPUT AUDIT was sent to the Ethics Commission for review. But at the meeting, THE TOPIC WAS TABLED, and then the Committee CHAIRMAN RETIRED, so it appears no follow-up meetings were ever held or action was ever taken (although it’s rumored that Mr. McCarther was strongly supporting Terry Riley position). Let’s analyze our case so far… we have a group that is set up to review audits, in fact, it is mandated that they review audits. They are asked to investigate the PERFECT OUTPUT audit… but they do nothing of substance. Hmmmm… we have ourselves the makings of a mystery, dear readers.

Now, least ye think the Ethics Commission is a figment of your imagination, as real as the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus (apologies to those who still believe), it should be known that the group has met recently to chat about Mayor Funky’s alleged misdeeds with using office staff in a campaign and on a private enterprise. Ed Ford made sure that happened.

The plot thickens… why would the mayoral-appointed Commission take up the case of Mayor Funky’s rumored malfeasance and totally ignore the corrupt behavior that TERRY RILEY took great pains to tell everyone he didn’t do, even when the Commission was ASKED to look into Mr. Riley’s role in Perfect Output?

Curiouser and curiouser. And why, with several potentially juicy audits recently released (http://webfusion.kcmo.org/coldfusionapps/auditor/mostrecent.cfm), has the Ethics Commission not seen fit to call a meeting? Does the fact that the City Auditor found that the City could do more to reduce the risk of Family Medical Leave Act abuse not sexy enough to review? Or how about the audit regarding the City’s purchasing card program, which found the system LOUSY WITH ABUSES (http://www.kcmo.org/idc/groups/cityauditors/documents/cityauditorsoffice/009740.pdf) , including the City paying twice for travel expenses of staff, a certain former city manager paying $750 for a table at a political dinner, and the fact that 117 of the 140 purchasing card holders did NOT HAVE SIGNED agreements with the City, as is required. This audit showed the City’s purchasing card system was full of abuse and misuse… yet the Ethics Commission didn’t deem the document important enough to discuss.

So what is going on? Puck has pondered and puzzled over this predicament… and is sorry to say that no good answer pops into play. There are several potential answers, but none are real pay dirt. Does the Ethics Commission not care? Are they afraid if they peel back the first layer of their duties they might find something really nasty underneath (like the dust bunnies that live underneath Puck’s dotted Swiss bed ruffle)? Are they appointed precisely because they will do nothing? Are they ignorant of the ordinance requiring them to review audits (they shouldn’t be now).

Puck has a few questions he’d like to put to the Ethics Commission, preferably in a well-appointed interrogation room. They are:
1. What does it take to convene the Ethics Commission?
2. How often do you meet?
3. Do you actually follow Ordinance 080152, or are you even aware of the ordinance?
Three pretty simple little questions that deserve to be answered and it shouldn’t be difficult to do so. But in this administration, the seemingly obvious and ethical are often overlooked or snuffed out, and the high-jinx by certain councilpersons, such as the ones observed in the PERFECT OUTPUT audit, are allowed to go unpunished.

In case your interest in Nancy Drew has been sparked, Puck has included some titles that work well with City Hall. Check out:
Ghost of (Kendrick) Blackwood Hall
The Riddle in the Rare Book (known as the City’s Charter)
The Clue in the Diary (of Gloria)
The Secret of the Fiery (Council) Chamber
The Clue of the Dancing Puppet (featuring Jeff Roe as the Puppet Master)