Public Officials need to "be held to account"

Part 2 of 3

This is my second blog about President Obama’s inaugural speech. In
the second part of his speech, President Obama stated, "Those of us
who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend
wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day —
because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and
their government".

This is a very clear and blunt statement. All of our public officials
need to be held accountable to the highest level of ethics standards.
The President is correct; there is a scared trust between our public
officials and the public. Too many times, our public officials violate
this trust. Too many times, our public officials forget they are
humble servants to the public. Too many times, the public has not
demanded accountability and answers to these transgressions.

And, too many times, the public has been thwarted in their efforts to get accountability.

Now, the hard part: How do we break the bad habit of conducting
business in the shadows of our government, instead of conducting the
people’s business in the light of day? I believe the answer to this
important question lies in the plain fact that elected officials work for the
public, not themselves. I would suggest candidates and elected
official establish and regularly update a blog. This would
allow easy access to their ideas and allows the public to provide
input and feedback.

In this local election year, I am hoping the voting public will demand
answers, hold the victors to their campaign promises, and hold our
elected officials to the highest level of ethical standards.

 

Get Involved - Every Voice Counts!