Opinion: Tampa's next mayor needs ethics

The report that Tampa Mayor Dick Greco gave a cushy city job to an old family friend underscores the importance ethics should play in the next election for mayor.

Tampa City Hall has long been an extended family as much as a safe and comfortable workplace. The very idea of professionalizing the hiring process and limiting a public official's outside employment will cause candidates to shift their message -- and some interest groups to shift campaign contributions -- in the lead-up to the 2003 election.

Bob Buckhorn already has started. The City Council member and declared candidate for mayor has called for a broad overhaul of the city's nearly nonexistent ethics code. Council Chairman Charlie Miranda, a likely mayoral candidate, also has expressed interest in tightening the city's anti-nepotism policy. Both ideas come in the wake of criminal probes into whether city housing boss Steve LaBrake and his girlfriend, also a top city aide, misused their authority for personal gain.

Rather than use the LaBrake scandal as an opportunity to regain public confidence in his administration, Greco has defended the poor judgment of his housing chief and chided critics and the press. The mayor is right about one thing; nothing on paper will, by itself, stop conflicts from happening. Only a strong commitment from the mayor can turn an ethics policy into everyday vigilance. And there's the problem: Greco has neither the strong policy nor the strong commitment.

The outcome of the LaBrake investigation will largely shape the contours of Tampa's new ethics code. But it's an encouraging sign that some at City Hall are grounded enough to recognize that ethics policies exist to, among other things, stop sleazy business relationships, not simply acts of criminal behavior. That LaBrake's dealings escalated to the point of a criminal investigation shows the failure of Tampa's ethics code and the indifference of City Hall. A mayoral hopeful who promises anything short of radical change in this area will distinguish his candidacy for the worse.

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright