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Council staff seeks feedback on updated code of conduct; ALRC asks for cultural and media language
Summary
The ALRC reviewed proposed amendments to the council's elected and appointed official code of conduct. The committee recommended approval to the full council with additional language requested to explicitly cover derogatory statements about culture and guidance on talking to the media; the recommendation passed with one abstention.
Karen Kapusta Popal, chief of staff to the Common Council, presented proposed revisions to the Council's elected and appointed official code of ethical conduct, asking committees for feedback before the changes return to the Council.
The proposed updates add guidance on conduct toward staff and the public, clarify when members speak for themselves versus the body, expand conflict-resolution guidance and provide a more detailed process for censuring an alder. Kapusta Popal told the Alcohol License Review Committee (ALRC) that staff compiling feedback will deliver comments to the Council as part of a multi-committee review before the Council considers adoption.
Why it matters: the code governs behavior of elected and appointed officials and board/commission members and establishes complaint, investigation and sanction processes. The revisions aim to modernize language, clarify expectations for interactions with staff and the public, and add a more formalized censure process.
During discussion Alder Sherry Carter asked that the draft explicitly prohibit derogatory remarks that target culture. "In a council meeting, an alder said, 'you people are always crying about something,'" Carter said as an example of a remark she believes should be covered; she asked that similar language be added to the policy. Kapusta Popal said staff will compile feedback and can add clearer wording if the committee requests it. "The best thing to do is to help have your committee staff help you with that," Kapusta Popal said, explaining that staff can provide formal titles and pronunciation guidance for employees who appear before committees.
Alder Farley moved that the committee recommend approval to the lead committee with the added conditions that language be added regarding culture and additional clarification about speaking to the media; Alder Carter seconded. Alder Figueroa Cole asked to be recorded as abstaining. The motion carried and the committee's recommendation will go to the Council for further consideration.
The committee discussed procedural questions about the censure process in the draft, including the proposed requirement of at least two alder sponsors for a censure resolution and a hearing process before the Council's Executive Committee. Kapusta Popal said the proposed changes were referred to committees to gather input before any final Council action.
Next steps: staff will compile the committee's feedback along with comments from other bodies and forward a consolidated package to the Common Council, which will consider any final edits and potential adoption at a later meeting.
Ending: The ALRC voted to recommend the draft with the requested clarifications. The Council's legislative analyst will collect comments from all committees and the package will return to the Council for final action.
