The Definition of ETHICS:

As I knocked on doors and spoke to many of our area residents, I was touched by the love we all share for this City. Many have families and want to grow those hearts and minds of our future here. Others, have lived here for generations. The underlying commonality was their desire to live in a safe and healthy environment. They don’t want to worry that government is making the wrong choice, setting the wrong example or spending their taxes foolishly.

Corruption in our local government has undermined those desires.

I listened to a long-time resident in Northwood Harbor, who has lived here for over 60 years. She recently shared with me that her father (a former local politician) only served one term because he could not bear the nastiness of government.

In Flamingo Park, a single mother, who referred to politics as the "cesspool of society."

Yesterday, once again, a gentleman in the South End of the City, shared these thoughts with me: "When my father was in the House of Representatives, taking money from lobbyist or developers was not considered a bribe or a bad thing. It was a necessity to running a campaign, but it didn’t get you preferential treatment."

All these statements came from residents who have lived here for many years.
Each one expressed their views and dissatisfaction for the current wave of ugliness we have witnessed these last 2 years.

Two County commissioners and two City commissioners, plus a prominent attorney, have breached the public trust.
Two Grand Jury reports highlight perceptions, which we can all agree, are not healthy for any city.

If we try to understand the why and how’s of corruption, it ultimately will lead us back to two words: Money and Power.

Look up the definition of Ethics and we will find this:

"A set of principles of right conduct."
American Heritage Dictionary

Or this definition (clearly identifies the human ability of choice in ethics):

"that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions."

So how do we try to inject ethics into government when ethics are defined as a system of moral principles? What are your thoughts regarding this question?
I have some ideas...