Janet sits on the board of a state regulatory agency in Florida. She is employed full-time in the private firm Justin and Associates, Inc.

Janet sits on the board of a state regulatory agency in Florida. She is employed full-time in the private firm Justin and Associates, Inc. Her husband owns 2000 shares in a small electronics company Wolmertech valued at $50 per share. Does Janet have an economic interest in any of the following business entities?
Justin and Associates, Inc.
Wolmertech
None of the above
If so, which? Explain
As a public official should Janet make decisions or vote on issues that could affect these two companies? Explain your answers
Ethics, Public Interest and the Public Service
Pursuit of the public interest is one of those elusive feat, a moving target that public servant must always aspire to achieve, it is a never‐ending process.
“The public interest may be presumed to be what … people would choose if they saw clearly, thought rationally, acted disinterestedly and benevolently…” Walter Lippmann (1889‐1974)
“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place”. Rossiter, 1961: Federalist #51
“Ethical Government means much more than laws. It is a spirit, an imbued code of conduct, and ethos. It is a climate in which… some conduct is instinctively sensed as correct and other conduct as being beyond acceptance”.
Report of the President’s Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform, March 1989
It is arguable that one of the more interesting ethical issue facing public servants is the question of social value (public interest, common good, public weal) vs. personal value and individual choice. For the public servant, the issue of personal ethics is often intertwined with public policies. Although it may be impossible to completely separate individual private interests from that of the public interest, public service judiciously requires some form of demarcation.
PUBLIC SERVANTS AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST
Public servants are responsible and obligated to champion the public interest. Public servants champion the public trust by:
Avoiding conflict of interest
Maintaining impartiality
Avoiding the appearance of impropriety
The public servant and the press/media
AVOIDING CONFLICT OF INTEREST
A person’s public position should be used for promoting the public interest and not for personal gain. Public office must not be used for personal interest since this practice is both illegal and unethical.
Often, the public servant is required to disclose his or her financial status before and during his/her time in office. Nepotism or favoritism to relatives relative to one’s public service position must be avoided at all cost.
Influence Peddling (bribery) is prohibited. The public office or position is not for sale.
Boundaries should also be established between a person’s public life and personal life.
MAINTAINING IMPARTIALITY
Although difficult to achieve, the public servant in his/her public capacity should always seek to avoid bias, ineptitude, preferential treatment, and contempt.
Promotion of the public’s interest demands objectivity/impartiality in the conduct of his/her daily affairs.
Even if the public official believes that s/he is acting in the best interest of the public, it is best to avoid using public position for private advantage or to the advantage of anyone with whom s/he has a private relationship. See Exhibit 3.4 pg. 84
AVOIDING THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY
“There can be no dissent from the principle that all officials must act with unwavering integrity, absolute impartiality, and complete devotion to the public interest. This principle must be followed not only in reality but in appearance” President Kennedy 1961
The actions of the public servant should look, feel, and smell right. Public perception is very important, therefore the public servant must be mindful of how the public feels and pay attention to this issue. Additionally, public servants should always gauge how the public responds to their activities/decisions. Through observations, they can ultimate shun those action/activities with negative public perceptions and reinforce positive public perceptions.
THE PUBLIC SERVANT AND THE PRESS/MEDIA
The public servant should try to maintain a good relationship with the media where possible. The more powerful the position, the more visible the official will be. One rule of thumb to guide their actions is to use common sense, and establish ethical credibility. The public official should not embellish stories and should be willing go on record if it’s an issue s/he is not prohibited from discussing
Lewis, Carol W. and Stuart C. Gillman, The Ethics Challenge in Public Service, 3rd ed. Josey- Bass, San Francisco, 2012
1
Rachels, James, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, Latest ed., McGraw-Hill, New York Page 1 of 17
N.B.
Janet sits on the board of a state regulatory agency in Florida. She is employed full-time in the private firm Justin and Associates, Inc. Her husband owns 2000 shares in a small electronics company Wolmertech valued at $50 per share. Does Janet have an economic interest in any of the following business entities