Codifying ethics

Is it really too much to expect that our elected officials have the slightest bit of conscience or an innate sense of what’s right and wrong?

Apparently it is. To rein in the nauseating conflicts of interest that dominate Nevada politics, our governments apparently must codify everything the public’s stewards can’t do.

Take the case of Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins. Earlier this year, Mr. Collins worked as a paid lobbyist and consultant for Veolia Transportation, the company that’s fighting to keep the county’s bus contract from being awarded to a competitor. Mr. Collins previously had worked as a lobbyist for a developer with business before county government entities.

Would Mr. Collins have landed these gigs if he were not an elected official?

So Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, a fellow Democrat, has introduced an amendment to the commission’s ethics policy that says sitting commissioners can’t work as paid consultants or lobbyists for people or businesses that have dealings with local and state government. The commission is expected to debate the proposal Tuesday but not vote on it.

Are our expectations for government so low that we must put common sense into code?

“What Tom did was not illegal in any shape or form, but sometimes you need to step back and say, ‘I thought we covered this, but let’s make sure we did,’ ” Ms. Giunchigliani said. “While it was absolutely within his rights, sometimes you don’t just do things because you can.”

Amen.