Reform Frederick City's "Code of Ethics" to make elected officials accountable of misconduct

Frederick City's Mayor and Aldermen

*Spanish Translation at the bottom*

Please sign petition to request a reform of Frederick City's "Code of Ethics" to make elected officials accountable of misconduct.

We believe harassment and hostile behaviors have no place in Frederick City politics, government, or affairs. All women - and every victim of abuse, harassment, and any hostile behavior - have the right to share their experiences in a professional and unbiased manner befitting the seriousness of such transgressions. We believe that residents and visitors alike deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace, educational environments, religious facilities, social gatherings, and in any other space they choose to occupy.

In light of the serious accusations recently brought forth, including potential abuse of power and the sexual harassment of members of our community, it has been made clear that there are gaps in the current city government documents that include rules of ethics and who is covered by said rules. There is no mechanism for a private resident of Frederick to report an incident of sexual misconduct against a government official. Currently, the only mechanism available to report any kind of misconduct is available only to government employees through Human Resources. However, this does not apply to non-government employees or private residents. Once an incident is reported, there is no protocol in place for what the process of investigating such incident or what possible outcomes will be. Furthermore, there is no mechanism to hold an elected official accountable if such incidents are proven to be true.

These loopholes in the system provide protection for elected officials to avoid accountability, while victims are forced into silence, having no recourse to seek justice. We also have an Ethics Commission with no members of color and no women. In ensuring a safe and unbiased space for victims to share their experiences, we must have inclusive systems in place that reflect our community.

Please sign your name to the petition, we are asking the Mayor and Aldermen to immediately put forth legislation that will accomplish the following changes to the current governing charter documents for our City:


  1. Clear and concise language that includes Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Behavior Unbecoming of an Elected Official as unacceptable and punishable acts covered by the code of ethics;

  2. The addition of a straightforward path for incidents of misconduct to be reported by community members to a Human Relations Department or equivalent;

  3. A mechanism for elected officials to be held accountable by a Human Relations Department or equivalent;

  4. A policy to ensure the diverse populations that reflect our community are immediately installed onto the Ethics Commission.


The reform will create avenues that ensure transparency and accountability from our government and elected officials. We must do so by intentionally including representatives from our diverse community and creating clear, unbiased procedures to handle claims of misconduct by elected officials. We call on you to rebuild trust with our communities and incorporate these changes for a stronger Frederick for all.


Authored by:

Deb Reynolds, Deborah Carter, Lauren Beacham, Katie Nash, Ysela Bravo, Shana Knight, Juliana Downey, Akiyyah Hall Billups,  Jazmin Schiano Di Cola.

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Favor de firmar esta petición de apoyo para reformar el "Código de Ética" de la ciudad de Frederick para que funcionarios electos sean responsables de conducta indevida.

Creemos que el acoso y los comportamientos hostiles no tienen cabida en la política, el gobierno o los asuntos en la Ciudad de Frederick. Todas las mujeres, y todas las víctimas de abuso, acoso y cualquier comportamiento hostil, tienen derecho a compartir sus experiencias de una manera profesional e imparcial acorde con la gravedad de tales transgresiones. Creemos que tanto los residentes, como los visitantes merecen ser tratados con dignidad, y respeto; que se lleve acabo en el lugar de trabajo, entornos educativos, instalaciones religiosas, reuniones sociales y en cualquier otro espacio que elijan ocupar.

A la luz de las graves acusaciones presentadas recientemente, incluyendo el potencial abuso de poder y acoso sexual de miembros de nuestra comunidad, nos ha dejado claro que existen grandes espacios actuales en el codigo de ética. Actualmente, no existe mecanismo para que un residente de la cuidad de Frederick informe un incidente de conducta sexual inapropiada contra un funcionario del gobierno. Actualmente, el único mecanismo disponible para denunciar cualquier tipo de conducta indebida está disponible solo para los empleados del gobierno a través de Recursos Humanos. Sin embargo, esto no se aplica a empleados no gubernamentales o residentes privados. Una vez que se informa un incidente, no existe un protocolo establecido sobre cuál será el proceso de investigación de dicho incidente o cuáles serán los posibles resultados encontra de dicha persona. Además, no existe ningún mecanismo para responsabilizar a un funcionario electo si se demuestra que tales incidentes son ciertos.


Dichos requicios en el sistema brindan protección a los funcionarios electos para evitar la rendición de cuentas, mientras que las víctimas se ven obligadas a guardar silencio y no tener recursos para buscar justicia. La Comisión de Ética no cuenta con miembros de color, ni mujeres. Para garantizar un espacio seguro e imparcial para víctimas las cuales puedan compartir experiencias, debemos contar con sistemas inclusivos que refleje nuestra comunidad.

Nosotros, los firmantes, pedimos que presenten de inmediato una legislación que logre los siguientes cambios a los documentos de estatutos vigentes para nuestra Ciudad:

1. Lenguaje claro y conciso que incluye el acoso sexual, la mala conducta sexual y la conducta impropia de un funcionario electo como actos inaceptables y punibles cubiertos por el código de ética;
2. La adición de un camino sencillo para que los miembros de la comunidad denuncien los incidentes de mala conducta al Departamento de Relaciones Humanas o equivalente;
3. Un mecanismo para que los funcionarios electos rindan cuentas a un Departamento de Relaciones Humanas o equivalente;
4. Una política para garantizar que la población diversa sea representada de inmediato en la Comisión de Ética.

Debemos crear vías que garanticen la transparencia y la responsabilidad de nuestro gobierno y los funcionarios electos. Debemos hacerlo mediante la inclusión intencional de representantes de la diversidad en la ciudad como tambien la creación de procedimientos claros e imparciales para manejar las denuncias de mala conducta de los funcionarios electos. Le pedimos que reconstruya la confianza con nuestras comunidades e incorpore estos cambios para un Frederick más fuerte para todos.


Escrita por:

Deb Reynolds, Deborah Carter, Lauren Beacham, Katie Nash, Ysela Bravo, Shana Knight, Juliana Downey, Akiyyah Hall Billups, Jazmin Schiano Di Cola.

To: Frederick City's Mayor and Aldermen
From: [Your Name]

​

To Mayor Michael O’Connor and the Board of Aldermen for the City of Frederick:

First and foremost, we believe harassment and hostile behaviors have no place in Frederick City politics, government, or affairs. All women - and every victim of abuse, harassment, and any hostile behavior - have the right to share their experiences in a professional and unbiased manner befitting the seriousness of such transgressions. We believe that residents and visitors alike deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace, educational environments, religious facilities, social gatherings, and in any other space they choose to occupy.

In light of the serious accusations recently brought forth, including potential abuse of power and the sexual harassment of members of our community, it has been made clear that there are gaps in the current city government documents that include rules of ethics and who is covered by said rules. There is no mechanism for a private resident of Frederick to report an incident of sexual misconduct against a government official. Currently, the only mechanism available to report any kind of misconduct is available only to government employees through Human Resources. However, this does not apply to non-government employees or private residents. Once an incident is reported, there is no protocol in place for what the process of investigating such incident or what possible outcomes will be. Furthermore, there is no mechanism to hold an elected official accountable if such incidents are proven to be true.

These loopholes in the system provide protection for elected officials to avoid accountability, while victims are forced into silence, having no recourse to seek justice. We also have an Ethics Commission with no members of color and no women. In ensuring a safe and unbiased space for victims to share their experiences, we must have inclusive systems in place that reflect our community.

We, the undersigned, are calling on you to immediately put forth legislation that will accomplish the following changes to the current governing charter documents for our City:

Clear and concise language that includes Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Behavior Unbecoming of an Elected Official as unacceptable and punishable acts covered by the code of ethics;

The addition of a straightforward path for incidents of misconduct to be reported by community members to a Human Relations Department or equivalent;

A mechanism for elected officials to be held accountable by a Human Relations Department or equivalent;

A policy to ensure the diverse populations that reflect our community are immediately installed onto the Ethics Commission.

We must create avenues that ensure transparency and accountability from our government and elected officials. We must do so by intentionally including representatives from our diverse community and creating clear, unbiased procedures to handle claims of misconduct by elected officials. We call on you to rebuild trust with our communities and incorporate these changes for a stronger Frederick for all.