Leadership Palm Beach County

Community-Wide Ethics Initiative

LPBC Alumni & Community Members:

With the arrest and imprisonment of so many elected officials, our county was perceived as having a Culture of Corruption. The Leadership Palm Beach County community-wide ethics initiative formed to begin the process of changing the culture to one of ethics.   We understand this is no small feat.

Culture is based on an agreed-upon set of values. We have many rules and laws on ethics and behavior. Many companies and agencies have their own vision, mission and values. However, there is no one statement of values on which citizens of our county have agreed.

Our first effort has been to devise such a statement; one that is both simple, yet complete. As our model, we began with the Athenian Oath, a statement signed by 17 year olds in ancient Athens. We believe that if everyone, young and old, in Palm Beach County signs the attached Pledge, we will begin to change the culture in the right direction.

A copy of the Ethics Pledge follows.  Print it out, sign it, frame it and keep it in a place for all to see.  Please let us know you have signed by clicking on the below link to send your consent electronically.  (See below for a list of elected officials and candidates who have signed the pledge.)  Thank you for supporting this important initiative.

* Click HERE to Download a copy of the Palm Beach County Ethics Pledge (preview below).
* Click HERE to send your consent electronically:  simply type "I agree to uphold the Palm Beach County Ethics Pledge" in the comments box, and click "Submit".

Ethics PLEDGE SIGNATURES:  CANDIDATES & ELECTED OFFICIALS
Jeff Howard Auslander - Candidate - Florida House of Representatives, District 89
Commissioner Keith W. Babb, Jr. - City of Pahokee
Linda W. Bird - Candidate - Florida State Senate, District #5
Commissioner Peter Blum - Town of Manalapan
Clerk Sharon Bock - Clerk and Comptroller, Palm Beach County
Representative Mary Brandenburg - Florida House of Representatives, District 89
Vice Mayor Joni Brinkman - Village of Palm Springs
Representative Susan Bucher - Florida House of Representatives, District 88
Mayor Jeff Clemens - City of Lake Worth
L. Marc Cohn - Candidate - Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District, Seat #5
Councilmember Judy L. Davis - City of Riviera Beach
Councilman Edward M. Eissey - Village of North Palm Beach
Commissioner Gary Eliopoulos - City of Delray Beach
Mayor Samuel J. Ferreri - City of Greenacres
Commissioner Fred B. Fetzer - City of Delray Beach
Mayor Lois Frankel - City of West Palm Beach
Alderman Thelma Gannon - Town of Briny Breezes
Mayor William T. Gerrard - Town of Manalapan
Ben Graber - Candidate - United States House of Representatives, District 19
Commissioner Addie L. Greene - Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Councilmember Bill Greene - City of Juno Beach
Representative Adam Hasner - State of Florida, District #87
Carey Haughwout - Public Defender - Office of the Public Defender, West Palm Beach
Vice Mayor Marge Herzog - City of Loxahatchee Groves
Councilmember Catherine Higgins - City of Atlantis
The Honorable Carrie Hill - Palm Beach County School Board, District #4
Mayor Maurice J. Jacobson - Town of South Palm Beach
Commissioner Robert J. Kanjian - Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Commissioner Joe Kyles - City of South Bay
Vice Mayor Retha Lowe - City of Lake Worth
Mayor Tom Lynch - Village of Golf
Commissioner Karen Marcus - Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Drew Martin - Candidate - Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation, Group 2
Commissioner William Moss - City of West Palm Beach
Commissioner Geraldine Muoio - City of West Palm Beach
The Honorable Gary R. Nikolits - Property Appraiser
Representative-Elect Mark Pafford
Evelyn Parkes-Brier - Candidate - Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District, Seat #5
Councilmember Richard Radcliffe - City of Greenacres
Commissioner Wayne M. Richards - Port of Palm Beach, Group #1
Commissioner Isaac "Ike" Robinson - City of West Palm Beach
Vice Mayor Jose Rodriguez - City of Boynton Beach
Representative-Elect Thomas J. Rooney, Sr. - United States Congress, District 16
Commissioner Marlene Ross - City of Boynton Beach
Representative Maria Sachs - Florida House of Representatives, District 86
Commissioner Jess Santamaria - Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Mayor Kenneth Schultz - Town of Hypoluxo
Representative Kelly Skidmore - Florida House of Representatives, District 90
Representative William D. Snyder - Florida House of Representatives, District 82
John Sottilare - Candidate - Florida State Representative, District 86
Mayor David Stewart - Town of Lantana
Representative Priscilla Taylor - Florida House of Representatives, District 84
Vice Mayor Elizabeth Tennyson - Vice Mayor of Lantana
Joseph A. Tringali - Candidate for State Attorney
Vice Mayor Lisa A. Tropepe - Town of Palm Beach Shores
Vice Mayor Mark K. Trueblood - Town of Mangonia Park
Councilman Mark T. Uptegraph - Town of Haverhill
Representative Shelley Vana - Florida House of Representatives, District 85
Representative Robert Wexler - United States Congress, District 19
Councilwoman Martha H. Webster - Village of Royal Palm Beach
Mayor Wayne Whitaker - City of Pahokee
Councilman Todd Wodraska - Town of Jupiter
Mayor John Zuccarelli, III - Jupiter Inlet Colony
Dr. J. William Louda - Loxahatchee Groves
Anne M. Gannon - Tax Collector, Palm Beach County
Commissioner-Elect Patricia Walker - Jupiter Inlet Commission - District 5
Mayor Bettye James - Cloud Lake
Commissioner Mary McCarty - Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Mayor Thomas R. Mills - Palm Beach Shores
Commissioner G. Chuck Balius - Town of Lake Park
Matthew Caldwell - Candidate for Florida State Senate, District 27

*Please note:  if you are a candidate or elected official who faxed your Pledge to LPBC or registered on-line and do NOT see your name listed above, please email LPBC Executive Director Krista Basore at krista@leadershippbc.org

BACKGROUND:  Ethics Forum and Ongoing Ethics Initiative

Chair:  Marty Rogol
Over the past few years, we have found the reputation of Palm Beach County tarnished by the arrests and convictions of a number of elected officials.  The U.S. Attorney and the FBI opened a special office in West Palm Beach to look for more.  The perception exists that there is a culture of corruption in Palm Beach County.  In response, LPBC initiated an effort to create a Culture of Ethics.  A committee was formed to study best practices in ethics, survey opinion leaders, and hold a community-wide forum on ethics.   Florida CFO, Alex Sink, kicked off the Forum June 3rd, 2008, and urged attendees to create a model for the rest of the state to follow.  Summaries of the results of the Forum were distributed to attendees, who were invited to join 1 of 3 subcommittees to move the effort forward.  Alumni have been invited to participate in this effort through registering for the Ethics Committee in 2008-2009.
 

The three subcommittees began work in the summer of 2008 to produce the above Ethics Pledge, and to generate additional means of driving a culture of ethics throughout our county.  Alumni who are interested in participating in this effort should contact the LPBC offices at 790.5722.  Community members who would like to participate are invited to sign the above ethics pledge, and to check back in January 2009 for opportunities to engage in building a stronger culture of ethics in our county.