It should be obvious, for abundant reasons, that it is wise for public officials and employees to keep their government duties and private business activities completely separate.
There should be no cause for concern that they are acting other than in the public interest on public time, and they should use government facilities only for public business.
Questions have arisen involving the activities of Alan Knowles, Hamilton County’s superintendent of support services for the Public Works Department; Missy Crutchfield, administrator of Chattanooga’s Department of Education, Arts and Culture; and Education, Arts and Culture spokeswoman Melissa Turner.
Crutchfield acknowledged that she and Turner worked during city time on the private, for-profit, limited liability company Be Communications. It markets the online Be Magazine. Crutchfield said she and Turner did not get city money or make a profit from those activities.
Knowles has earned $157,345 since 2007 from Dove Ministries Inc., a nonprofit organization he heads that books Christian music performances. E-mail records show he did some work for the organization on county computers and county time. He said that will not happen again.
It shouldn’t.
Since public officials and employees are responsible to the public for their taxpayer-supported employment, they should avoid anything that could raise any suspicions of conflicts of interest, or questions about the use of public time, facilities or funding.
When questions arise, they should be taken care of simply and quickly: The supervisors of those in question should instruct them to perform only their governmental functions on the public’s time. Outside activities should be kept outside.
That way, the best interests of both the public and the individuals may be safeguarded.