Ethics task force looks into government transparency

City leaders in Palm Springs are bringing some legal, spiritual, and social experts together to try to make the city more ethical.

About 50 people gathered for the Ethics, Transparency, and Government Reform Task Force meeting Tuesday night.

“One thing we have in Palm Springs in great abundance is experienced and really educated people,” said Robert Moon, mayor of Palm Springs.

The people on the task force comprise of lawyers, business leaders, human resources experts, and clergy. They are going to be divided into smaller groups to focus on specific items such as campaign finance reform, transparency, ethics, election reform, communication, diversity and grants.

The task force will be looking into what other cities have done in increase transparency.

“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but of course we want people to be creative and come up with some new ideas that maybe no one has ever done before as well,” said Geoff Kors, Palm Springs City Council member.

This task force was created in the wake of an FBI raid at City Hall in September where agents seized cell phones, tablets, and more than 4,500 documents.

“Palm Springs has the minimum ethical codes that the state requires but many other cities can and do go further,” said Roger Tansey, a lawyer on the task force.

“I know how important ethics is in any capacity of life, and I have seen what corruption has done to other cities and counties, so I think it is important to be involved,” said Renae Carpenter, a lawyer on the task force.

The vast majority of the people in the task force are Palm Springs residents.

The task force will meet at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of every month at the Palm Springs Police Training Center. The meeting is open to the public.

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