Township Trustee Calls Proposed Ethics Code 'Too Squishy' on Gifts

An ethics ordinance regulating the conduct of Plymouth Township’s elected officials, employees and others representing the township will get a formal hearing early next month, but a trustee who has been pushing for it has criticized a draft plan as lacking in substance because it doesn’t prohibit elected officials from accepting gifts.

Trustees approved the first reading of the ordinance, 5-0, last week, according to a report on hometownlife.com. A final reading of the ordinance, modeled after one on the books in Canton Township, is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8.

As written, the proposal would prohibit the disclosure of confidential information, prohibit officials from using their elected positions for family gain, and requires officials to disclose any conflicts of interest they or other family members may have in government decisions. It also speaks to decorum at township meetings, calling for respectful and orderly conduct.

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Trustee Bob Doroshewitz was out of town on business during last week’s meeting, but told the newspaper after reviewing the eight-page proposal that it was “pretty weak,” “useless” and “too squishy” as it relates to using township positions for personal gain because it wouldn’t apply to gifts.

He thinks elected officials should be prohibited from accepting gifts from vendors worth more than $50 and should not accept more than $100 in gifts from a single source in any given year, among other restrictions.

Supervisor Shannon Price, who called the ordinance “a good start,” said township officials considered banning gifts, but rejected the idea.

“When you get into gifts, then you start getting into dollar amount, and ‘What’s the right dollar amount?” and, ‘How do you handle it?’ ” Price told the newspaper. “I don’t think if somebody buys you a cup of coffee that they own you.”