by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Nominations being accepted for Ethics Award
Jacksonville’s Ethics Commission agreed to invite City Council Vice President Jack Webb to its Dec. 7 meeting to discuss allegations made by the Florida Times-Union that he had a conflict of interest in representing Republic Services Inc. in legal matters.
“I think we’ve got sort of an elephant in the room that we are obligated to discuss,” said Pat Sher, City Ethics Commission member. “The Jack Webb situation. Since we are able to self report, I think we are obligated to investigate.”
According to the Jacksonville Ethics Code: “(d) The Commission may, upon employee or citizen complaint, or upon its own initiative, seek information and gather facts for the purpose of investigating any circumstance or situation of which the Commission may become aware that appears to violate or may potentially violate an acceptable standard of conduct for City officers and employees.”
The Ethics Commission can begin an investigation as a result of a citizen complaint, hotline call or a complaint that it initiates. Ethics Officer Carla Miller, who receives hotline calls, told the Commission that she had not received a citizen complaint or hotline call regarding Webb’s activity. Miller stated that she cannot initiate an investigation without one of those three reasons.
“My duties do not include being an investigator,” said Miller. “My role is outlined in the Ethics Code, which states that I am responsible for prevention of ethics violations and education on ethics laws. I am also the liaison between the City and the Ethics Commission. If they request information and they require assistance, I make that happen.”
Something that hasn’t happened is a substantial number of calls to Webb’s office asking him to step down from the Trail Ridge Oversight Special Committee. Webb’s Executive Council Assistant, Suzie Loving, reported that she had received only a few calls from citizens on the matter as of Tuesday afternoon.
Webb represents Dist. 6 and his duties as Council member include serving as vice chair of the Rules Committee and as a member of the Finance Committee. After supporting the effort to put the landfill contract out to bid instead of renewing the contract with current landfill operator Waste Management, Webb was appointed to chair the Trail Ridge Oversight Special Committee, which was created by Council President Richard Clark.
Webb, an attorney, resigned that position last Wednesday in light of allegations that his representation of Republic Services, one of the bidders to become operator of the City’s landfill, in legal matters created a conflict of interest. Webb has denied the accusations and welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Ethics Commission.
“I look forward to talking to them,” said Webb. “There is no taking sides here, it’s just about the truth.”
Webb has been out of town due to a family emergency, but plans to notify Republic Services that he will no longer be available to represent them when he returns.
Clark respected the quick action taken by Webb.
“He took it upon himself to step down from the Trail Ridge Oversight Special Committee,” said Clark. “(Webb) said that they were doing good work on Trail Ridge and he didn’t want to be a distraction. From what I’ve seen, he is doing everything he can in the best interest of the council as a whole.”
In other news from the meeting, people who take it upon themselves to carry out their duties in an ethical manner may be eligible for the Ethics Commission’s inaugural “Annual Award for Excellence in Ethics” to be presented in January. The award will be bestowed upon a member of the community who works to provide an example of superior ethical practices, labors to advance the culture of ethics and inspires others to pursue a higher ethical standard. The award can be presented to local citizens, public officials and city employees.
Potential honorees will be presented to the Commission at its Dec. 7 meeting and the award winner will be recognized at the Commission’s January meeting.
Nominations should be sent to the City’s Ethics Office by Nov. 20 and more information is available at www.coj.net.
356-2466