It’s probably no surprise that an already divided Onondaga County legislature can’t agree on how to police itself and other officials with an updated code of ethics. Lawmakers voted 11 to 6 along party lines Wednesday to approve the legislation. Republican Cody Kelly says its strong and substantial.
“I think that the product that we have in front of us today ensures transparency and accountability, promotes easier access to the Board of Ethics, to dispose the duties as per general, general municipal law, which is the guide that we have to lay out powers and duties, as well as the makeup of the board.”
But democrats like floor leader Chris Ryan feel it’s a missed opportunity to change how board members are appointed, and to give them more oversight.
“We had an opportunity to give additional powers to the Board of Ethics," Ryan said. "The original proposal, section 4.7 outlined 14 different definitions and additional powers and duties. They were all taken out, and now the section 4.7 is just one sentence.”
Fellow democrat Mary Kuhn says they were hoping to repeal and replace the original 1990 legislation, rather than amend it. She says republicans refused to even to allow discussion or a vote on the democrats’ proposal. Kuhn says among other things, the new legislation does nothing to address the common practice of the county executive appointing legislators to coveted positions, or newly created jobs in the administration.
“Actually, these are questions that constituents have said to me," Kuhn said. "Are legislators being rewarded for good behavior? And I will say, I have no clue. That is not anything I know about, but it's a bad look.”
In the end, democrats were unsuccessful in convincing republicans to add more teeth to the code of ethics. Republicans have held the majority in the county legislature during most of its 60 year existence, and no democrat has ever held the office of county executive since it was created in 1962.
