Lisbon's Ethics Panel Problem in 300 words or less,,

Lisbon's Ethics Panel Problem in 300 words or less

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the in depth articles about Councilor Bowie’s conflict of interest and the Ethics Panel’s findings. The following few words are an attempt to boil it all down into a easily digestible summary of some of the relevant facts.

   1.    Councilor Bowie’s wife being an employee of Police  Department creates many perceived and/or actual conflicts of interest  one of which is documented by a previous Ethics Panel finding.    (Fact)

   2.    The Lisbon Ethics Panel is not addressing the true conflicts created by the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bowie and the Police Department. 

   3.    The  Ethics Panel is guiding the investigation to keep it away from the true conflicts. They are requiring the public to word the complaints in some unspecified form only known by the panel.  I believe (opinion) the panel knows what the problem is but doesn’t want to hear the complaint because they will have to render an uncomfortable decision that will anger the powers that be in Lisbon Government. 

   4.    The Town Council and Ethics Panel are attempting to insulate the Council from ethics scrutiny. I doubt  this was ever the intent of the framers of our Ethics Panel.

   5.    The Ethics Panel refuses to investigate this obvious conflict on their own. There is nothing written in the charter that prohibits them from initiating the investigation.

The  recent finding of the Ethics Panel is really just A Red Herring used to divert attention away for the most egregious conflicts.

The only way to fix  this  “Good Old Boys Network” is to  install new ethically minded people to the council next November.

Respectfully
Joe Hill
LisbonMaine.net