Peggy Kerns Quotations

States are doing this for two reasons. They want to be ethical institutions, and they want the skeptical public to view them as ethical institutions.

This was a case of competing values. Honesty, fairness, respect, responsibility and compassion, these values drive our actions.

What happens in the states too often is that when the ethics commission oversees the Legislature, and the Legislature gets mad at them, they cut their budget.

These laws show the public we mean business. It will probably be a step toward increasing public credibility toward the legislature.

It was bothering her, so she chose public service.

I don't think these laws make public officials ethical. They tell the public we mean business because we are serious about wanting an ethical institution.