May 2006 · Volume 88 · Number 4 

Ethics
MOM, CAN YOU COSIGN MY LOAN?
Q. The city manager’s son wants to start his own business, but he does not have sufficient credit history to qualify for the small-business loan. He called his mother to see if she could cosign the loan application. While the city government is unlikely to have any dealings with the son’s enterprise, the city manager wanted advice on how to assist her son in a way that would minimize any perception problems. 
A. The first and most important step the city manager can take is to disclose the loan openly. Should there be any zoning issues or other questions that arise regarding her son’s business, she should recuse herself from any involvement with the city’s review processes and should not make recommendations of any kind. Tenet 12 of the ICMA Code of Ethics contains a guideline on personal relationships that emphasizes the importance of disclosing to the governing body any personal relationship when there could be the appearance of a conflict of interest. 
For advice on the ICMA Code of Ethics, or to find out more on ethics training and technical assistance available to local governments, call the Ethics Center at ICMA at 202/962-3521, or visit the Web site at http://icma.org/ethics. Calls or e-mails can also be directed to ICMA’s ethics advisers Martha Perego, 202/962-3668, mperego@icma.org, and Elizabeth Kellar, 202/962-3611, ekellar@icma.org. 
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© 2006 International City/County Management Association.