Relatives are not regular employees
In one of the county’s best-kept secrets, Warren County government does in fact have a nepotism policy in place that forbids elected officials from hiring their relatives to work for them in county offices.
It may not seem that way because the Warren County Employees Uniform Nepotism Policy Act wasn’t adopted until last year. And all the county employees who are currently being supervised by an immediate family member were grandfathered in, meaning they were allowed to keep their jobs.
Looking over the policy, it’s straightforward and strict. It clearly states no person ‘shall be responsible for supervising the job performance or work activities of another relative.’
The term relative is defined broadly to include ‘parent, foster parent, parent in-law, child, spouse, brother, foster brother, foster sister, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, or other family member who resides in the same household.’
The policy makes sense and it’s long overdue. In a Southern Standard online reader poll conducted this week, a full 84 percent of respondents favor such restrictions.
Truth be told, I didn’t realize this county policy was in place. And it’s easy to think that way.
Considering the recent high-profile case against a former county trustee, and the fact there is currently nepotism in other county departments, it certainly gives the appearance that such a policy is non-existent.
However, that’s not the case. The nepotism policy goes so far as to give the county power to take an elected official to court if he or she hires a relative. That serves as a firm deterrent because there aren’t too many people who will endure the negative publicity that surrounds a trial to hire a family member. That’s especially true for people who need the support of voters to be returned to office.
My take on the nepotism policy is it’s smart business. I firmly side with the 84 percent majority in our poll that thinks it’s inappropriate for elected officials to hire family members. To put it as simply as possible, there’s no way to avoid showing favoritism when your spouse or your child, or both, are part of your staff.
To use me as an example in a hypothetical situation, let’s say I’m elected to office (which shows this situation is indeed hypothetical). Shortly after the election, I bring my wife and two sons on board as employees.
Considering I share a home and a bed with my wife, Cupcake, I believe it would be difficult to treat her the same as the rest of my employees. Let me take that a step further and say it would be impossible to treat her the same.
And seeing as I have photo albums filled with pictures of my boys that chronicle every milestone in their lives, from their first steps to their first Christmas, it’s fair to say they would not be typical employees either.
That’s why it’s best to prevent such situations before they are allowed to begin. There’s no reason to invite trouble into your living room when the alternative is to close the door before it can enter.
When push comes to shove, I think most people would agree that family should always come first. That’s precisely why our elected officials should not be allowed to hire their family members. There’s no way to treat them like an ordinary employee because they’re not.
James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at editor@southernstandard.com.