Is Hume's Use of EGEDC's Chairman's Candidate Endorsement Ethical, Legal?

Elk Grove Economic Development Corporation Chair Endorses Hume Is the EGEDC Chair's endorsement ethical? Several months ago in ...

Elk Grove Economic Development Corporation Chair Endorses Hume

Is the EGEDC Chair's endorsement ethical?
Several months ago in the heated debate surrounding the location of the St. Marie Goretti Roman Catholic Church, Council Member Steve Detrick made an off-cuff comment that the Sacramento Diocese should look at other sites within the Elk Grove community. One of those sites, Detrick suggested, was a vacant lot across the street from his home that at one point was being considered for a Super Wal-Mart.

Critics of Detrick seized on the comment and urged an ethics  violation investigation saying the first term council member was trying to make an economic gain by urging the sale of the vacant parcel. Mayor Sophia Scherman agreed and single-handedly approved an independent investigation in the matter.  

Unfortunately for Detrick, not to mention the struggling taxpayers of Elk Grove, that comment undoubtedly caused him lots of indigestion, taxpayers thousands of dollars and yet another embarrassment for the city. 

Scherman's rouge ethics investigation turned out to be nothing but a red herring and did nothing but damage the already sagging reputation of city council and Elk Grove as a whole. To paraphrase one council members' comments at the time, the whole incident may work to keep businesses from locating in the city. 
  
Since Scherman's strange saga, ethics violation accusations amongst council members have been tossed around like a hot potato. 

Nevertheless, failure of the smell test seems to be permeating from the city council again. The latest incident comes from council member Pat Hume and his ballot statement.

Endorsement from city funded board member; Does it pass the smell and Four Way Test?


review of Hume's recently filed candidate statement includes an endorsement from Mr. Tim Moran. The endorsement, which is scheduled to appear on the November ballot statement, includes the following comment:

"Pat Hume has led efforts to create jobs, and grow the 
local economy.  We need his leadership of the city council."

While the statement is hardly controversial, it is the preface that fails the smell test. Moran, who is President of Methodist Hospital of Sacramento, prefaced the quote as follows:

Tim Moran, Chairman of the Elk Grove 
Economic Development Corporation says, 

According to their website, the EGEDC is a "501 c (6) non-profit corporation whose purpose is to improve and develop business and economic conditions within Elk Grove." The EGEDC received a five year $750,000 grant from the City of Elk Grove in February, 2007 to help the city pursue economic growth.

(Coincidentally, court documents in an unrelated legal matter for Hume states his current "significant other" is Lisa Lent. Currently Lent is the Chief Philanthropy Officer for Methodist Hospital, where Moran is President.

While the legality of Moran's endorsement as the chair of the publicly funded agency warrants further research, by any measure of ethical standards, Moran and Hume are at a minimum violating ethical standards and fair play by using his publicly funded position for Hume's advantage. 

It just doesn't pass the smell test.

One can only hope that Moran is a stand-up sort of person who acknowledges his mistake and withdraws his endorsement, or at least deletes his title of Chairman of the EGEDC, before the ballot statements go to print. As for Hume, we hope he can honestly apply his publicly acknowledged adherence to the Rotary's Four Way Test and do the fair thing for all parties concerned.

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11 comments

Elk Grove Politics said...

Hume lists www.pathume.com as his campaign website. No such website exists at this time.

I wonder if Hume remembers that a friend of Connie's set up his campaign website back in 2006 as a favor to her. Hume and Conley worked on the design as well. Her friend may still own the domain name as well.

Could it be more false information coming from Hume?

Elk Grove Politics said...

The Elk Grove Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been a joke. And the joke is on the Elk Grove taxpayers!!

We are in our fourth year of a $750,000 commitment to the EDC. And we have seen nothing from that financial commitment.

Many people spoke up at the time that it would be money wasted because there was “no real plan." Yes, regular citizens were keeping an eye on our money as it seems the city council at the time, led by Hume, treated our money like water.

(Side note: Where is the $80K Hume was supposed to get back from RT for us? Oh, that's right, he missed that meeting!)

The EDC pitch to the council was a smoke and mirrors fancy PowerPoint presentation from then Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce CEO Janet Toppenberg promising the moon. Seems those pesky citizens were right again!

Oh, we were to get quarterly reports from their executive director. The first one, the EDC took credit for keeping Alldata in Elk Grove.

The owner of Alldata took exception to the EDC taking credit, wrote a letter to the Bee and set the record straight, denouncing that claim. We didn't get quarterly reports after that until those same pesky citizens demanded to know where our money went. More smoke and mirrors presentations!

All the EGC, its chairman and last year's Elk Grove member Hume did was hold meetings. Nothing came from them. (It was a citizen's suggestion that the Elk Grove member to the EDC rotate to the mayor's position so that all five be involved at one point or another for accountability.)

So, how is Hume going to explain "all these jobs" he brought to Elk Grove? Where is the list of those jobs? What companies did he bring to Elk Grove?

Hume has answers for everything. What cliché he is going to use to prove his false claims on his campaign statement? Hume is the poster council member for, “Over promise and under deliver!”

Speak up Hume! You certainly have no problem speaking up at council meetings.

Malleus Codex said...

Pat Hume is (suposedly) my councilperson. I have emailed Pat on several occasions asking for help with various issues. Pat Hume has NEVER replied to me. I live in District 2. I will be campaigning for and voting for GEORGE MURPHEY in November. George is an upright, honest, dedicated public servant (Planning Commission). Dump Hume...Elect George!

Unknown said...

What the heck is wrong with Hume? One mess after the other. I was getting a good laugh at each and every time he stepped in it, but now I just find it all so very sad.

I pity Mr. Hume. He justs keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper with his actions.

Capt. Benjamin L. Willard said...

Hume is the most disappointing politician I have ever voted for since turning 18 in the early 70's...and there have been some real bums along the way.

Needless to say I will vote for one of the two other people running for office. I hope others see through him as well.

Unknown said...

Talk about ethical.....

As a member of the Elk Grove Rotary I'm going to air my discontent. Instead of giving Patrick Hume nine months leave of absence we should have kicked him to the curb for the disgrace he has caused our Rotary. We stand for something. He brought that ideal way down. I'm going to probably resign soon as there are other Rotary clubs that would have never stood for his type of behaviour for such a long time. A leave of absence? That's a slap in our face. He should have walked away like Lisa did.

Tom Nadeau said...

It used to be that when someone was elected to a public office -- yes, as low down the status pole as city council -- or even just appointed to a decision-making advisory panel, they were required to attend a one day ethics seminar. Someone, I believe it was a staff member from the California Secretary of State's Office, elections division would walk the attendees through the basic do's-don't's of public service. Nothing complicated, of course: Do file accurate and complete campaign disclosure statements on time; don't take secret bribes (paid immediately or received later) for voting one way or the other on items before your board or commission; avoid making it too obvious that your soul and butt at are for sale to the real estate mogul/construction company offering the highest bid. Just following from afar the affairs of the EGCC (and I DO mean affairs in the widest possible interpretation) the ethics seminars are no longer being offered, or the attendees have no intention of following the suggestions on how to APPEAR to be at least a teensie-weensie bit honest, if only to keep up the spirits of all those the ignorant and unwashed voters.

Unknown said...

Paul,

Ditto. Me too. I've had enough!

Unknown said...

I wouldn't be making this comment, but thank you Paul for opening the door. I'll probably resign too. I too have had enough.

Mr. Nadeau, you are 100 percent correct. Even lowly council members must take an ethics course. Council member Hume's behaviour indicates he either slept through the course or, more likely than not, didn't bother to attend.

Ethical behaviour should, of course, begin in the home as a child, but if not learned as a child certainly as an adult one should understand what is ethical and what is not. Basic tenets of right and wrong.

Josie said...

In reading the Semi-Annual Form 460 for 6/30/2010 it says "Patrick Hume for Change". Now does that mean he will now accept my "change" instead of the $$$ from developers or he's changing his ways or changing partners or from a bully to a non-bully or unethical to ethical? What exactly does that mean Pat????? We're standing by and patiently waiting!

Josie said...

Another "little" item that Mr. Hume needs to be reminded of is failure to AMEND his Form 700 for 12-31-2009 of which he was made aware of in APRIL, 2010. When he signed his statement he "Certified under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of CA that the foregoing is true and correct". And now I see he is running for City Council again, but fails to Amend a very simple statement showing the citizens of Elk Grove that he is this honorable person that should be elected to run the cities affairs and make financial decisions. "Patrick Hume for Change" - does that mean more thumbing your nose at all the "little people" in EG? Time to clean up your act!!!!

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