Ethical stinkbomb

IT IS DISAPPOINTING to see the city's Board of Ethics undermine its own reputation for solid work by its adoption of the ethical stinkbomb called the DROP program.

Evan Meyer, general counsel for the Board of Ethics, signed up for the city's Deferred Retirement Option Plan, which meant that in exchange for agreeing to retire by a certain date, he would get a special payment of some of his pension benefits in a lump sum. Meyer was allowed to take advantage of the program's most unseemly loophole by retiring for a day in order to collect the lump sum, and then getting hired back at his former salary.

The move was legal, but, as we have pointed out for those officials who have used the loophole, including elected officials, legal doesn't make it right.

And if the Board of Ethics doesn't know this, we're in big trouble.

That board should know better than any that appearances matter, and that no one likes the look of the DROP program - except for those anticipating a lump-sum payment. The board knew that Meyer would be retiring; it's had time to find his replacement. No matter how talented he is, keeping him on is, ethically speaking, a toxic choice. *