A long-time member of the Madeira Beach (Florida) City Commission (like a Canadian City Council) resigned recently.

She did so after being severely censured for licking the face and/or neck of the former City Manager.

Apparently (according to testimony) she had something of a habit of licking people after she had been, ah, perhaps enjoying an adult beverage or two. “The act of licking a person on the face and neck is too unusual to be contrived by multiple witnesses and multiple victims,” administrative law judge Robert Cohen wrote in his final report.

Judge Cohen recommended that Commissioner Nancy Oakley be fined $5,000 and be publicly censured by the Governor of Florida for inappropriate behaviour.

The entangled story includes the now-former City Manager having an affair with a staff member, public confrontations, fierce splits amongst the elected members, and other eccentric behavior and conduct from elected and administrative officials.

This episode is, sadly, just one of many incidents of misconduct by elected officials (which usually eventually draws enthusiastic media reporting) and by administrative officials (which is often less public but more expensive to resolve).

I have not been tracking these incidents across Canada and the United States in sufficient detail over recent years to scientifically argue that these types of behaviours are increasing or not. My sense, however, is that there is a growing list of mayor and councilor misbehavior.

Perhaps our greater awareness is a reflection of the less tolerant attitudes about bad/naughty/offensive/unacceptable actions and words from one civic official to another, or to members of the staff or the public.

It does seem to me that these actions are being reported more, and there is substantially less tolerance for them. That’s a good thing. Perhaps it is aided by the #METOO movement. Any elected official, and they have tended to be male, trying to use his position to force sexual or other conduct that is unacceptable on another person, should be outed.

It is still amazing that after the public exposure, humiliation and career-ending conduct of so many elected people in North America that it still hasn’t sunk in to some Mayors, Councillors, or other elected officials that that kind of conduct is not acceptable.

Surely City Clerks across the nation when they do their Orientation sessions for newly-elected officials, and offer training on Harassment for the full Councils, are trying to help elected officials understand the climate today.

Elected officials still learn to their apparent surprise that there are these things called ‘smart phones’ out there. Somebody is recording something all the time. And not to mention the security surveillance cameras that are ubiquitous on city streets and throughout many neighbourhoods.

The Province of Ontario has recently introduced new rules for all town and city councils. They all are now required to follow a Code of Conduct. They must hire an Integrity Commissioner to enforce that Code.

Other provinces and territories have other rules and regulations. It is certainly a hot topic amongst municipal officials.

However, I hope we won’t lose the ability to have open, candid and sometimes vigorous disagreements over policy issues during council debates. I have always believed those are healthy—providing that they don’t get personal. To use the old cliché, you can disagree without being disagreeable.

Some argue that we are holding elected people to a higher standard over their personal conduct. Yup. And we should.

At the same time, we need to find a responsible way for people accused of something to defend themselves in an honorable way. Just because someone is accused of something does not mean she or he is guilty. Careers have ended in a blur of headlines and social media explosions that later turned out not to be true.

It has always been hard serving in public office. Perhaps it has never been harder than today.

Be careful. Be smart. Be aware.