Missoula County chief administrative officer urges public servants to follow values-based ethics

Anne Marie Dusso, the chief administrative officer of Missoula County, told a public forum that ethics in government flow from a person’s core values and that officials must balance personal convictions with public duty.

“[W]hen we talk about things like ethics and principles and values, a lot of that comes from our own, you know, experience,” Dusso said, describing how her upbringing and career shaped her view of public service. She framed ethics as derivative of values and urged attendees to prepare for both incremental change and sudden opportunities for reform.

Dusso told the group that major policy change usually takes time in a legislature: “Plan on 8 years,” she said, describing how ideas typically need multiple sessions to survive committees and floor votes. She…