TERRE HAUTE —
When the Vigo County Area Plan Commission meets Nov. 7, it should once again remind itself, and recommit itself, to maintaining a high standard of ethics in its deliberations and voting.
In doing so, it should acknowledge that conflicts of interest large or small, or even perceived conflicts, are important matters. None should be brushed aside. The credibility and integrity of this arm of self-government is at stake.
The Plan Commission took a major hit in recent months upon the revelation that one of its members — Norm Froderman — had a financial stake in Cobblestone Crossings when he voted on its expansion plans. Those plans came into vigorous dispute when homeowners in the Woodgate subdivision discovered that changes in the development would impact the upscale housing area in ways they did not anticipate, and that a sudden change of zoning allowed apartment buildings to be constructed stunningly close to some Woodgate properties.
Eventually, a group of Woodgate homeowners challenging the development learned about Froderman’s potential conflict and asked specifically about it during a commission meeting. That’s when Froderman acknowledged the conflict.
The Vigo County commissioners and Planning Department took immediate and appropriate action to stop the development and require Cobblestone to return before the plan commission to re-apply for zoning changes. The stop-work order has since been lifted after Cobblestone reached an agreement with the homeowners group to construct a wall between properties. But zoning issues remain.
In the wake of Froderman’s tardy disclosure and subsequent county actions, planning department director Jeremy Weir reminded commissioners that they need to recuse themselves from taking part in matters in which they have a financial stake or may be biased or influenced by someone or something else.
Members of the Woodgate group, however, suggest an even more aggressive approach. They suggest commission members answer a roll call each meeting that asks specifically if they have conflicts on any matters on the agenda that day.
While that exercise would normally be cumbersome and unnecessary, current circumstances are far from normal. The integrity of the commission has been damaged. This would be one small way it could begin to recover public credibility. It should be seriously considered.
Editorials
EDITORIAL: Serious issue of integrity
Commission needs to work hard to restore credibility
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The celebration season
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EDITORIAL: Memo to U.S.A.: You can ‘SPPRAK’ just as we do in Vigo County
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EDITORIAL: Doc’s prescient prescription
Viewed through a 2013 prism, Doc Bowen’s response to the AIDS epidemic looks merely prudent, routine.
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EDITORIAL: Education remains worth the cost
Within the next few weeks, each of the local colleges will have conducted graduation ceremonies. A few days later, a different Class of 2013 will don caps and gowns for commencement — the seniors at five Vigo County high schools. It is still a smart, worthy aspiration for those high school grads to replicate the achievement of those college students by earning a higher-education degree.
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EDITORIAL: Good news for downtown
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READERS’ FORUM: April 26, 2013
• Pence’s tax cuts benefit wealthiest
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
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MARK BENNETT: Littered with irony: Why do people callously discard their trash, and who are they?
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EDITORIAL: Doing the dirty work to clean up tossed trash
A first-of-its-kind, coast-to-coast project to remove litter from U.S. roadsides brought the Pick Up America crew through the Wabash Valley two years ago.
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EDITORIAL: Keep school security a local issue
The decision to provide armed security inside a schoolhouse should be made locally.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
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EDITORIAL: The return of terror
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EDITORIAL: A solution to distracted driving … stop it … now
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EDITORIAL: ‘Women of Influence’: 2013 selectees have given much to their communities
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: A new honor for our veterans
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EDITORIAL: Shifting view on marriage
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MAX JONES: The American Newspaper: Changing? Yes. Dying? No way!
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EDITORIAL: A chance to change our bad cultural habits
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EDITORIAL: Maintaining high standards
Standards
It’s the raging buzzword in education circles these days. Everyone insists that higher standards must be met. Anything less is, doggone it, unacceptable. -
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