The ICMA Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC) has the authority to privately censure an ICMA member whose conduct violates the ICMA Code of Ethics. By their very nature, private censures are confidential matters. While it is important to preserve that confidentiality, it is also important for members to know that the CPC has taken action and to understand the type of conduct that violates the ICMA Code of Ethics. The CPC privately censured ICMA members for the following conduct:

 Tenet 7 of the ICMA Code of Ethics requires that all members in local government service remain politically neutral. Other than voting for the candidate of their choice, members should not endorse candidates, sign election petitions, display campaign signs, make financial contributions to candidates seeking elected office, or run for any elected public office. The CPC determined that members violated Tenet 7 when:

• A member serving as town manager successfully ran for a seat on the school board in the manager's home community. The member was also barred from rejoining ICMA.
• A borough manager lost in the primary in an effort to serve as borough mayor. There were mitigating circumstances that led to the decision for private censure.
• A city manager provided a financial contribution to a county commission candidate and granted permission to be listed as a supporter on the candidate’s campaign advertisement.

The Length of Service Guideline to Tenet 3 recommends that ICMA members remain with a local government for a minimum of two years unless extenuating circumstances present themselves. Doing so allows members to provide a professional service to the community. Two members were privately censured for failing to serve in a local government for two years.

The CPC also privately censured two members for the following conduct:

• A city manager engaged in a romantic relationship with a subordinate employee. While the manager voluntarily disclosed the relationship, he failed to do so immediately.  
• Without ever informing her colleague, a member met with her colleague’s elected officials. During those meetings, the elected officials expressed their displeasure with the manager’s performance.

Members who have questions about their ethical obligations under the ICMA Code of Ethics or who are seeking confidential advice are encouraged to contact Martha Perego, ICMA director of ethics, at 202-962-3668, mperego@icma.org; or Jared Dailey, program manager, at 202-962-3557, jdailey@icma.org.