Public service, public ethics and political life in New York
As far as I can remember, I have been committed to the mission of public service. When Kennedy asked me what I could do for my country, even though I was only seven years old, I was sold. I have always been a civil servant, consultant and educator of future civil servants. My lifelong goal has always been to make the world a better place. Of course, there are many ways to pursue the mission of public service. Some are community organizers, some are policy advocates, and some are public officials. Others work in the Peace Corps, the military or as first aid personnel. I decided that the role of educator and consultant is very suitable for me. I am proud of the many students I have prepared for a career in public and sustainable management and the many contributions they have made to our country and the planet. Although the vast majority of public service personnel are idealistic and moral, some are not. Sometimes, the pursuit of public service can lead people to take shortcuts in the way they work in order to achieve what they believe is a key goal. They sacrifice ethical standards to accumulate the resources or power needed to achieve important goals. Sadly, they do not understand that if they do not choose the path of public service, they cannot truly achieve the goal of public service. moral Public Service.
What do I mean by ethical public service? Back in 1995, my colleague Bill Eimicke and I published an article entitled “Ethics and public administration staff. “In that article, we concluded that Carol Lewis was in her landmark work Moral challenges in public service, Giving:
” …The best specific advice on the ethical behavior of public administrators
Her 21 rules of thumb have been reduced to five principles:
1. Obey and enforce the law.
2. Serve the public interest.
3. Avoid injury.
4. Take personal responsibility for the process and its consequences. 5. Treat incompetence as an abuse of power. “
Andrew Cuomo’s downfall was largely due to his failure to comply with the fourth principle, although he seemed to have forgotten several other principles. Sadly, his actions after announcing his resignation continue to violate the principle of being responsible for the ruling process. He continues to see himself as a victim. His shameful behavior towards women reflects a style of political bullying that he seems to think is the only way to deal with the selfish and corrupt environment of Albany. He sometimes acted as if the effort to build consensus would distort his ability to achieve key goals. Compromise is weakness. He seems to think that there is no power to force others to stick to his point of view, and nothing can be done. In Cuomo’s view, securing important policies and programs, from same-sex marriage to pre-school education funding, requires “political power.” His masculine management style inevitably leads to moral errors, with the goal of defending illegal methods.
There are other less confrontational methods of practicing politics and exercising leadership. A wonderful book by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Rival team, Discuss Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet, which is mainly composed of his political opponents. Lincoln reasoned and argued with his colleagues. He listens and learns. Similarly, Roosevelt did not fail to listen to the opinions of major stakeholders and ordinary Americans because of his inconvenience. Eleanor Roosevelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) went to the United States to listen to his opinions, and the famous Roosevelt himself was the first American president to fly overseas to visit the US military to participate in the war. Winston Churchill lived in the White House for several weeks, arguing day and night and trying to manipulate Roosevelt. Roosevelt used tricks, indirection, and charm to defeat his opponents, who usually thought they were smarter than him.
In the past century, the standards of private behavior have changed a lot, and to a large extent have become better. My childhood hero John F. Kennedy’s behavior towards women was untenable in that era and may be a crime today. Anthony Weiner, Elliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton, and Andrew Cuomo were all public officials decades after Kennedy’s death, and their misconduct was and is unforgivable. Civil servants shall observe the highest standards of conduct. No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes, but when a civil servant makes a mistake, the correct response is to admit the mistake, ask for forgiveness and learn from it. Attacking the whistleblower is unethical. Donald Trump may have normalized this approach, but Andrew Cuomo should be clearer. Means and ends can never be separated. Cuomo called the New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ report on his misconduct a political attack, but anyone who reads the report can only conclude that this is against an overly aggressive, misguided, and sometimes delusional public figure. . Cuomo’s self-image is the image of a soldier, which is a common feature between him and Donald Trump. Both treat opponents as enemies. Attacking the Attorney General’s motives is like the motives of attacking whistleblowers, and more like the method that led to Andrew’s resignation and Trump’s failure. As someone who often voted for Andrew Cuomo, I am deeply disappointed and deeply betrayed.
Competent public services require effective management of public organizations. In the 21st century, this requires outsourcing and public-private partnerships, but in an era of unlimited campaign funding, these partnerships can and are the source of institutionalized corruption. Ethical civil servants must find a way to separate government decision-making from campaign fundraising. In New York State and New York City, the prevalence of paid games is obvious, which poses a major obstacle to ethical public decision-making. Andrew Cuomo may have left the office in disgrace, but he also left a political war fund reportedly worth $18 million. Donald Trump raised millions of dollars to sell lies about the fairness of the 2020 presidential election. As a sign of integrity and remorse, Cuomo should return the funds and stay away from partisan politics for a long time.
We are not living in the golden age of public morality. In the Citizens Union case, the U.S. Supreme Court equated campaign spending with freedom of speech and public morality-this is by no means an easy task in any era. It has begun a long decline, and it seems that there is no end to it. Elected officials may begin their careers with idealism and dedication to public service. But soon they discovered that they needed campaign funds to compete, and the sales started out. Occasionally there will be a Mike Bloomberg, he is very rich, he does not need anyone’s money to run for office, but Bloomberg is far from typical, anyway, we need a better solution to solve the problem of money Great influence in politics.
Although Andrew Cuomo’s downfall was not directly caused by any campaign cash scandal, the political environment in New York is dominated by money. In a recent article about the activities of Brooklyn President Erik Adams after winning the Democratic Mayor’s nomination, New York Times Reporters Dana Rubinstein and Emma G. Fitzsimmons observed:
“…Mr. Adams-he has raised more than 11 million U.S. dollars in public and private funds for the primary election, and now has about 2 million U.S. dollars on hand-has been working overtime on the fundraising line, participating in as many as five in one day. Fundraising activities… During his years in elected positions, Mr. Adams’ fundraising activities sometimes Tested the boundaries of campaign finance and ethics laws. As a state senator, Mr. Adams was under investigation for his role in awarding video lottery machine contracts at Aqueduct Racetrack, which included soliciting donations from people associated with bidders. As the mayor of Brooklyn, he was also criticized for collecting money from developers who lobbied him to make important zoning changes. Good government groups say they will pay close attention to ensure that Mr. Adams avoids conflicts of interest; his fundraising summer may provide an opportunity for dissection. ”
Adams had no choice but to raise campaign funds, just as Cuomo was an amazing collector of cash. Although raising campaign funds is a legal and legal activity, money, parties, and gossip create an atmosphere of privileged access. For Cuomo, the huge political war fund is not only a weapon of intimidation, but also a tool to promote political exchanges. It seems that the path that started with the intimidation of political opponents ultimately led to the abuse of employees.
Although Andrew Cuomo seems to have fallen from the top of the political hill, Eric Adams has not yet reached his peak. Adams has the opportunity to set the tone for selfless public service and can decide to lead New York for the public interest rather than the private interest of campaign funders. Hearing the opinions of all stakeholders requires him to pay close attention to the opinions of business and community leaders. I hope he learns from Como’s death and uses the unique power of the Mayor of New York to make this city a better and safer place to live. But to do this, he needs to pay close attention to the interrelationship between public service and public morality.
