Commitment to Nonprofit Causes and Public Service: Some Issues to Ponder

QUESTION

I just completed my first campaign for public office and am happy to report that I won. One of the issues that came up in the campaign was my extensive involvement in nonprofits in our area. I am the executive director of one nonprofit and serve on the board of another. I volunteer for a third. I think my extensive community involvement is one reason I was elected, but what issues should I be alert to now that I'm an elected official? I don't want to make any missteps.

ANSWER

First, congratulations on your election and your commitment to your community. You must be aware of many issues now that you are an elected official. And there are several ways to slice the ethical issues facing an elected official involved in nonprofits.

You will have both ethical and legal considerations to weigh. This column addresses the ethical considerations; the October and December columns (Parts 2 and 3) will focus on the legal considerations.

The Distinction Between the Law And Ethics

You can consider the law as a minimum standard of conduct for your behavior. The law determines what you must do. If you make a misstep regarding various ethics laws, you will likely face some kind of penalty. Some penalties are financial, and others can cost you your freedom in terms of jail time. Ethics laws are something you should take very seriously.

Engaging the Entire Community in Civic Participation

by Terry Amsler

Throughout California, cities are seeking new and better ways to engage their residents and add community voices to important public discussions and the decision-making processes of local elected representatives. However, the residents who do get involved often do not represent the broader community.

Grease to Gas to Power Puts Riverside on the Road to Energy Independence

When the City of Riverside sought solutions to two pressing problems --- finding a viable way to dispose of restaurant grease and the need for a new cost-effective source of gas --- creative thinking turned up a way to use grease wastewater to generate power.

The city operates a publicly owned treatment works plant with a design capacity of 40 million gallons per day and anaerobic digestion processes. The treatment plant also features a cogeneration facility with the capability of generating about 3 megawatts of power per day. The cogeneration facility's three internal combustion engines use the methane gas produced by the digesters as a fuel source. The city's Public Utilities Department also owns an electric utility that must meet the California Public Utilities Commission requirement that 20 percent of all its electrical energy be derived from renewable resources, such as wind, solar and geothermal, by the year 2017.