Public officials must play by the rules

By Staff
April 7, 2002
Even though Fire Chief Bunky Partridge repaid the city for using firefighters and department equipment to move items at his home, the incident still highlights a serious issue.
Mississippi's ethics laws.
Those laws clearly state that public servants including elected and appointed officials can't use their positions to obtain a pecuniary benefit above and beyond their normal pay.
If appointed officials are convicted of doing so, then a Circuit Court can censure, remove, suspend, demote or fine the individual up to $5,000.
Strong, above-board ethical behavior in state and local government jobs is serious and essential to maintaining the public trust, both in the system and in those who serve.
One kink, regardless of how small or large, can quickly damage a person's credibility and reflect poorly on a governmental body and its leaders.
We're not saying that Partridge should be shown the door just because he used his employees and equipment to move a hot tub and a trampoline at his house. After all, we're only talking about a total bill of $290.38 in labor and equipment rent money that Partridge re-paid the city on Jan. 22 for work that the mayor said took place "years ago."
We're just saying that someone like Partridge, who has been around local government as long as he has, should have known better. Others in government would do well to keep this in mind.
No ifs. No ands. No buts.
And no excuses.