The theme of this month’s PM of public safety and community well-being has me thinking about the shared public service values of our respective membership organizations: International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the American Public Health Association. Their ideals align and will resonate with any manager with oversight of these professionals!

Five similar pillars emerged from the research into these organizations’ codes of ethics:

1. Integrity and honesty. Public trust requires ethical conduct. This means we act truthfully, avoid conflicts of interest, and maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.

2. Service to the public good. Our chosen career path is not only a job; it is a calling. We do not leverage our public position for personal gain and always make decisions in the best interest of the community.

3. Accountability to our employees, elected officials, and community for our actions and decisions. We pay particular attention to the duty of candor while navigating the need for confidentiality when it is required.

4. Equal respect for individuals and the entire community. We recognize how this can sometimes lead to tensions that require managing. We strive to uphold the principles of dignity, equity, and fairness.

5. Dedication to professional excellence in skill, training, and performance through continuous improvement.

From this comparison, I then assessed how ICMA might be different.

ICMA’s Additional Principles of Governance and Political Neutrality

Comparing the values outlined in their respective codes, ICMA’s Code of Ethics is unique among its peer organizations by addressing issues of governance and political neutrality.

This has been true from ICMA’s very beginning because our members generally have responsibility for an entire department or organization, or aspire to, requiring a larger viewpoint. We can get mired in the details of managing, so it is helpful to have a big-picture vision of why this profession exists.

Tenet 1 demonstrates how elected officials in a representative democracy appoint a professional local government manager to deliver fair services. Tenets 5, 6, 7, and 10 define the roles and responsibilities for organizational employees and elected officials. Managers recognize the importance of maintaining political neutrality as well as the profession’s commitment to effectiveness, efficiency, and equitability without bias. Let’s consider this our elevator speech for why professional local government management matters!

Tenet 1. We believe professional management is essential to effective, efficient, equitable, and democratic local government.

Tenet 5. Submit policy proposals to elected officials; provide them with facts, and technical and professional advice about policy options; and collaborate with them in setting goals for the community and organization.

Tenet 6. Recognize that elected representatives are accountable to their community for the decisions they make; members are responsible for implementing those decisions.

Tenet 7. Refrain from all political activities which undermine public confidence in professional administrators. Refrain from participation in the election of the members of the employing legislative body.

Tenet 10. Oppose efforts to interfere with professional responsibilities by consistently executing official duties, policies, and processes with an unwavering commitment to unbiased public service.

Assessing the Strength of the Organization’s Public Safety and Community Well-being Operations

In every community, its leaders want a safe environment where everyone can thrive. But what does it mean to put our shared values (honesty and integrity, service to the public good, accountability, equal respect for individuals and the entire community, as well as dedication to excellence) into practice? Consider these questions to get started on this journey:

• How does your organization honor its commitment to honesty and integrity? Does how something gets done matter and much as what gets done?

• Does the governing body decide what is in the public’s best interest? At times, do you find yourself at odds with the governing body’s decision or direction? Do you consider it safe to speak up?

• Does your organization provide the necessary tools to be effective and innovative? Come budget time, is one department always rewarded because it has a vocal community constituency? Does this lead to other departments feeling demoralized? If so, what do you do about it?

• To whom is the organization held to account? Does accountability have any resource consequences?

• Public safety and community well-being professionals are routinely in life-threatening situations. Consider how first responder mental health resources are prioritized within the organization. How can these efforts be strengthened?

• In your organization, is there tension between individual and community rights in certain departments? Is one department’s perspective consistently taken into account over others? Does this change depending on the issue?

ICMA and our peer organizations promote fair and competent operations with integrity through shared ethical principles. What sets ICMA members apart is our responsibility for an entire department or organization, requiring our code to define issues of governance and political neutrality.

Hopefully, the questions I’ve posed inspire discussion in your organization. Perhaps they bring about new thoughts or considerations. Write to me at jcowles@icma.org so we can have a confidential conversation about the issue you are facing. I look forward to hearing from you.

JESSICA COWLES is ethics director at ICMA (jcowles@icma.org).