THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606140180
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 39 lines
The City Council voted Tuesday to hold a work session next month to design goals for an ethics commission and to decide how commission members would be appointed.
The council was set to adopt the new commission Tuesday night when several council members said they were concerned that there had not been a full discussion on the issue.
``We didn't determine what we wanted the commission to do,'' Councilman James T. Martin said. ``I think we need to work on this and come up with defined goals. I'm not saying I'm against this, because the newspaper would then say I'm against ethics.''
Councilman James C. Hawks said he hopes the commission's goals will be educational rather than investigative.
``I've been skeptical of having an investigative body,'' Hawks said. ``That's what laws are for.''
Councilman Cameron C. Pitts, who has been lobbying for months to create an ethics commission, said that he believes the commission will help keep council members and others operating within the law.
``I think it's important for the ethics commission to give us preventative maintenance,'' Pitts said. ``There is some fearfulness that we will create a body of witch hunters. That's not what we want to do.''
Hawks also said he was uncomfortable with the proposal to have each council member appoint one person to the ethics commission. He said by appointing commissioners in that manner that the board could become too political.
Vice Mayor Johnny M. Clemons suggested that the council begin gathering the policies of similar commissions from across Hampton Roads. Clemons originally had suggested that the council create a human relations commission. When that failed, he agreed to go along with the idea of an ethics commission.
Pitts said he has gathered ground rules and goals for 41 similar commissions across the country.
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL by CNB