New York Metropolitan Chapter ASPA NEWS

The New York Metropolitan Chapter ASPA held its Annual Public Service Awards Banquet on Wednesday, June 11^th, 2003 at Sal Anthony's S.P.Q.R. Restaurant in Manhattan.

The Honorable William C. Thompson, Comptroller of the City of New York, was the Keynote Speaker at the Event. Mr. Thompson was also the recipient of the Outstanding Leadership in Public Affairs Award.

Barbara R. Spencer, Executive Vice President, MTA New York City Transit, received the Chapter Award for Outstanding Public Administrator.

The Chapter gave the Distinguished Public Service Award to the Honorable Gale Brewer, Member of the New York City Council.

The Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York received the award for Outstanding Organization.

Norman O. Davis, Vice President for Publicity and Public Relations, District Council 37 Retirees Association, received the Outstanding Contributor to Volunteerism award.

The Banquet drew a large number of attendees who enjoyed the great buffets served at S.P.Q.R.

Raymond Joseph, ASPA National Council Representative and Chair of the Chapter Elections Committee, presented the results of the Chapter Elections during the Annual Meeting.

The Chapter Annual Meeting was supported, in part, by a financial grant from Accenture, the world's leading management consulting and technology services company. Accenture teams with the world's leading governments and educational institutions to help them improve citizen services and transform the business of government. For more information about Accenture, please go to their website at www.accenture.com.

The NY Metropolitan Chapter has just concluded another outstanding year, which was culminated by another record breaking annual dinner held on June 11, 2003. We had an attendance of well over 200 people. Highlights included NYC Comptroller William Thompson's keynote speech and acceptance of his award for Outstanding Leadership; NYC Transit Executive Vice President Barbara Spencer's acceptance of her award for Outstanding Public Administrator, and the emotional crowd favorite Norman Davis, who received the award for Outstanding Volunteer. A great time was held by all and I would like to thank all of our members who made this event a great success.

We closed the year with a record surplus which we intend to put to use during the next programming year. Plans for next year include a scholarship program which would be the first time we ever sponsored such an activity. I welcome any ideas or suggestions for activities for the next year. I can be reached during working hours at 646-252-3820 or at my E-mail at wciaccio@nyct.com. With your help we will have an even more successful year, helping to demonstrate to all the true value of the public administration field.

In May, I spoke about ethics at the Government Financial Officers Association annual meeting. I followed Eric R. Johnson, who spoke on the GFOA’s Code of Ethics. My job was to talk about "What to do when there are no rules?" Here is what we discussed.

One reason we have to act without rules is that there is always some nuance that no one has thought of before. People are clever and circumstances are changing. Rules always cover what clever people thought of in the past. Other reasons that rules may be inadequate may be new technologies, new loopholes created by the last round of new rules, and contexts such as policy making where "rules" is the wrong paradigm.

Perhaps the solution is to make more rules. Here is a problem, there does not seem to be any limit to how many rules we can make. The ASPA code of ethics is 513 words. Here are some others, GFOA, 637 words; ICMA, 1,997 words; U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Standards of Ethical Conduct, 32,713 words; the Code of Federal Regulations contains about 170,000 pages or 85 million words.*

There is no limit how long the rules can run, but they can never be long enough. The reason is that the world is unbounded in its possibilities, while we humans are constrained by, at minimum, the time we have available to think up our rules, or, as in this example, write out 85 million words into the CFR so far. We can never write all the rules we might conceivably need.

Here are four possible ways to get around this limitation.

Super rules: This approach asks us to look for a moral first principle. This principle trumps all other rules and is the source of any other rules. Whenever a new situation comes up, we apply the principle to the facts through logic. The trouble is, over the course of civilization we have never reached general agreement on one super rule and one of the ways the field of many rules has been narrowed to a few is that they are stated very abstractly. But when they are made abstract, reasonable people often disagree on how they apply to particular cases.

Authority: Someone is granted authority to settle matters. When there are no rules or you do not know how to apply the rules, follow this person’s decisions. The trouble is, we cannot be sure the authority is wise and we cannot be sure the authority is not just out for self-benefit. Still, this seemingly risky plan is the essential characteristic of the American judicial system.

Situation ethics: On this view every situation is unique and requires its own fresh moral decision. Generally these decisions are guided by intuitions and considerations of consequences and all the factors that go into each situation. The trouble is that, even assuming that we all exhibit good will, no one is smart enough to make fresh moral decisions all the time. More importantly, this looks particularly vulnerable to collapsing into looking out for number one.

Personal responsibility: On this view, responsibility attaches to the person making the decision. Each person who acts or fails to act makes a decision. When we are personally responsible, we realize that we should follow the "spirit of the law," not just the "letter of the law." However there is no exact list of first principles. We consider such matters as respect of persons, keeping promises, etc. People, such as our friends, family and professional associates, remind us to be responsible. The trouble with is that reasonable people may disagree on what to do. Also, people will fail -- some occasionally, some frequently.

None of these approaches is fool proof. What I recommend when we are concerned about a matter that might lead to considerable harm is to make a rule backed up with punishment; that is, make a criminal law. Enforce the law vigorously. But this does not solve many of our problems.

Which of these approaches helps prepare you for normal ethical decision making? Externalized ethics (super rules, authority) do not prepare you to behave well when not watched. Situation ethics gives you too little actual advice. I recommend personal responsibility because it gives you something to consider, "What would my mother think if she knew I was doing this?" Also, from the perspective of personal responsibility you are an active part of what is going on, not just a replaceable mechanism in the government machine.

How to be personally responsible^: First, do only what you choose to do, do not merely comply with external force. Second, consider your friends, family members, mentors, etc., that is, people who might serve as a moral compass. Make a list and keep it close. Whenever considering an action, whether one you thought up or one asked of you, remember this list. What would they think? Why?

For example, remember the Orange County bankruptcy? That was a big financial market scandal just a decade ago. What would Robert Citron’s mother have thought of him as he grossly exaggerated his understanding of derivatives?

Personal responsibility is not about obstructionist behavior. Most things you are asked to do by the law, your political or hierarchical supervisor or your professional colleagues are perfectly reasonable. However, don’t be naïve, particularly not naïve on purpose.

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*Word counts by Microsoft Excel, may be slightly inflated. CFR word estimate based on 500 words per page.

The results of the Annual Chapter Elections were announced by Raymond Joseph, ASPA National Council Representative and Chair of the Chapter Elections Committee, during the Chapter Annual Meeting at the Awards Banquet on June 11, 2003.

William Ciaccio was re-elected to his third one-year term as Chapter President. Caroline N. Westbrook was elected to a one-year term as Chapter Vice-President. Six Council Members were elected (or re-elected) to two-year terms: Marco DeSena, Judith Kirchhoff, Christian Meyer, Usha Narasimhan, Steve Parker, and Dan Williams. These Council Members will be joining Sybil Alexander and Lynne A. Weikart, both of whom will be serving in the second year of their two-year terms.

Rosita Holguin, a student at Washington Irving High School, is the winner of the Chapter's 2003 High School Essay Contest. Ms. Holguin's essay is re-printed below:

Perhaps you may have encountered this or experienced it yourself. A child is with his mother who watches him play with other children. But then one of them suddenly takes the child’s toy or hits him, and the child strikes back, both of them fighting. The child then complains to his mother who tries to mediate the situation, but can’t because he starts crying. He refuses to listen, continuing with his crying.

The United Nations is like a mother in the world since its goal is to maintain peace and diplomacy despite the crying child, or countries in conflict. This has been its purpose upon since the end of WWII. The organization works to the advantage of smaller, less powerful countries who are at a disadvantage towards more powerful countries due to their poor economy or small military. In this way, it ensures that all voices are heard in international affairs.

One such example can be seen with recent events. The world was in utter shock after the terrorist attacks of September 11 for the national security of a powerful country was threatened. The United States automatic reaction to the terror threat was retaliation, sending troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and find terrorist leader, Osama Bin Laden. The war against terrorism was further spread towards Iraq where it was sought to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s terrorist regime.

However, many people have questioned the United States actions, especially those within the United Nations. They felt violence would only bring about further violence. Being an organization that promotes nonviolent measures towards solving disputes, the United Nations was hesitant to endorse in a violent response. Thus, their preference was based on more placid means such as economic sanctions. However, the Bush administration didn’t agree with those methods. Despite all the protest and the wishes of the United Nations, Bush was determined on waging his war. Thus, the forces were sent towards Iraq in search of weapons of massive destruction and with the goal of disposing of both the Afghani and Iraqi regimes.

Once troops were sent overseas to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, there arose the question of how to rebuild the country once the goal of overcoming terrorism was achieved. It was a difficult task since warfare had been going on for a long time in the nation. Given the duration, there have been severe physical infrastructure damage as well as civilian casualties. Still, the larger issue remains that of the U.N. response to such significant challenges. The U.N. must look to its own restructuring if it is to grow beyond its shortcomings in regards to the war against Iraq and the rebuilding of Afghanistan. In other words, it needs to respond the recent world events with a solution and approach that will demonstrate their level of power as a public service agent. The leadership here falls to the distinguished secretary general, Kofi Annan.

The United Nations secretary Kofi Annan wanted to establish mutual trust and confidence so that all disputes are resolved though compromise and other peaceful means. One step in this direction is a plan known as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). In keeping with the fundamental ideals of the United Nations, it will deal with the human rights and gender issues. It would also promote national reconciliation and develop assistance programs that would help the people of Afghanistan.

The thought that Saddam Hussein was making weapons of mass destruction led to great concerns within the Bush administration. Despite the fact that a treaty was signed after the liberation of Kuwait in which Hussein promised to stop making such weapons, there was extensive belief he held access to them. His actions escalated that fear since he blocked inspections by the United Nations to check on the validity of the accusations against him. The U.N. didn’t wish to embark on violent measures and sought to avoid another war. However, this the United States did and without the approval of the U.N.

Given this background, how wise was the American attack? An attack, especially one without the approval of the United Nations would lead to greater hostility among the people of Iraq and the citizens of the neighboring countries who would be sympathetic towards it since some of them have been taken advantage of as well by Western nations. That feeling would then turn towards anger against the United States for attacking Iraq and they in return might even retaliate. Being attacked, the United States would then immediately strike back which could lead to a full-scale world war. It would also increase the problem of terrorism since the hatred and anger against the Western nations would be triggered across generations, resulting in further attacks. How then to respond to the American act of going to war without the consent of the United Nations? How then to respond to the rebuilding of countries devastated by ceaseless conflict?

Throughout the course the last half-century, the United Nations has prided itself on being the watchdog of the world, seeking to spread the ideals of freedom and human rights to the rest of the world. While the task has not always been successful, it has indeed aided countries struggling with their democratic governments. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility. The United Nations has the difficult task of attending to its crying babies. The United States in seeking to protect itself abused its power. Yes, the United States had the right to take measures to ensure there was no threat against its national security. Yet, that didn’t account for the country to step out of its bounds established by the United Nations, acting above the organization. It is important that international law be respected for it promotes peace among countries, allowing disputes to be settled in a nonviolent manner.

So the question arises: What role is there for the U.N. after the war on terror? It can coordinate humanitarian relief--something its agencies are very good at doing--and it should continue administering the Iraq oil-for-food program, at least for a time. The U.N. could also help create an independent, free civil society in Iraq while sowing the seeds of a democracy there that might one day become an enduring model for the entire region. If weapons of mass destruction are eventually found, the U.N. must ensure that those weapons do not fall into rogue hands, while determining which countries and companies provided Saddam with them in the first place.

From its humble beginnings to its rise in power, the United Nations has developed into a significant role of public service. It has also encountered its share of challenges as seen with recent world events. As an agent of common good, it is one that calls for flexibility in responding to those particular challenges. The approaches it undertakes to resolve global differences are important for it allows the organization to strive and continue on their mission for world peace. Yet, the task can be difficult, especially when the countries in question don’t agree with the required methods. Thus, the United Nations can be compared to a mother, keeping an eye on her children, especially the crying child. In this manner, she is the watchdog of the world.

Both Stephen Rolandi and Ed Falterman have announced their plans to seek the nomination for ASPA National Council Representative for Electoral District 1. While recognizing the strong contributions that Mr. Falterman made to the Chapter over recent years, the Chapter Governing Board voted to support Mr. Rolandi for the nomination due to his participation in the chapter for over 25 years and the many posts Stephen has held in the local chapter, including President.

The Chapter welcomes our newest members: Rafael Andalia, Lorie O. Burnett, John Cosgrove, Betsy Gotbaum, David Greenberg, Neda Imasuen, Diana P. Lamont, Joyce Y. Lewis-Swensson, Steven Lieberstein, Robert M. Mangione, Stephen Parker, Judy-Lynne Peters, Riana M. Ranieri, Lawrence Reuter, Marybeth Reynolds, Bryan Rivera, Laren S. Rouse-Jenkins, Lisa Sacks, Nikia Sankofa, Jon A. Sendach, Lisa Shaw, Barbara Smits, Greta R. Strong, William C. Thompson, Joyce Tonge, DeMecia Wooten-Irizarry, and Ulanda Wrong. We also welcome Denise G. Guce, Puja Kumar, Milliecent O. Obe, and Rachel Werner to the New York University, Wagner Graduate School of Public Service Student Affiliate Chapter.

31 - August 2 International Conference on Socio Political Informatics and Cybernetics: Pista '03
City: Orlando, FL (Contact: www.confinf.org/Pista03)

August

4-6 Becoming a Measurement Guide Training
City: St. Albans, VT (Contact: www.yellowwood.org/BMG.htm)

12 Greater Rochester Chapter Annual Dinner Cruise
Location: Schoen Place, Pittsford, NY (6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.)
Contact: Ron Adams at GRCASPA@aol.com

24-27 Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) 2003 Annual Conference
Theme: The Balancing Act: Governance, Innovation and the Public Good
City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Contact: www.ipaciapc.ca/)

28-31 American Political Science Association 99th Annual Meeting & Exposition
City: Philadelphia, PA (Contact: www.apsanet.org/)

14-18 International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) Annual Conference
Theme: Public Administration: Challenges of Inequality and Exclusion
Location: Miami, FL (Contact: www.iiasiisa.be/schools/aeconf/miami/aemiami.htm)

18-20 Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) 15th Annual Conference
Location: Washington Marriott, Washington, DC (Contact: www.abfm.org/)

21-24 Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) 25th Annual Conference
City: Austin, TX (Contact: www.cogel.org/)

1 Los Angeles Metropolitan Chapter Luncheon
Features Speaker: LAPD Chief William J. Bratton
Location: TBA
Contact: Sherilyn Pierce at Sherilyn.Pierce@lacdc.org

4 5th Annual Texas ASPA State Conference
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Contact: Howard Balanoff at hb02@swt.edu

9-11 7th National Public Management Research Conference
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, DC (Contact: www.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/welcome.html)

15-18 2003 National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) Annual Conference
Location: Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, PA (Contact: www.naspaa.org/principals/conference/conference.asp)

16-18 ASPA District 4 Conference
Location: Embassy Suites Plaza, Kansas City, MO
(Contact: Janice Gordon at Janice_Gordon@kcmo.org)

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