CityEthics.org, a blog associated with a nonprofit organization in Connecticut, picked up on the issue of political activities by former Honolulu Ethics Commission chair, Lex Smith.

In a blog post today, Robert Wechsler, director of research for City Ethics, comments after reviewing the political activities attributed to Smith and the relevant provisions of law:

I think it’s important to prohibit EC (“ethics commission”) members from being in relationships with candidates, or officials, that might compromise how fair and neutral they appear to the public. Without this fairness and neutrality, their opinions, enforcement actions, even their ethics training will not be seen as trustworthy. Without trust in an EC, an ethics program is worthless. Or worse.

If someone wants to represent candidates and officials, that’s fine. But they should not accept a seat on an EC.