A lingering thought about ethics and morality in governance struck yesterday when we watched as a man parked his car by the Long’s Park pond. He walked toward the posd and clapped his hands and all the ducks in the pond scurried from the water toward him. For the next five or so minutes he fed the waterfowl from a paper sack he carried.

If, as one source states, ethics are “a set of principles of right conduct or a theory or a system of moral values” … who is right in the above scenario. The folks who put up the signs asking park visitors to “not feed the ducks and waterfowl” or the guy feeding the wildlife.

If you ask the wildlife folks, they tend to agree, “Don’t feed the ducks.”

If you ask the guy feeding the ducks, wonder what he’d say is his ethical reason for violating the park’s rules?

And on to “Ethical leadership: Doing the right thing.” in governance …

• Is it ethical for law enforcement to violate citizens’ rights to take pictures in public venues? See Cole Umber’s news site for more on this.

• Is it ethical for one “not-for-profit” entity to ask for an exemption of borough fees?

• Is it ethical for other “not-for-profit” entities to expect similar exemptions?

• Is it ethical for a member of that “not-for-profit” to make the motion, vote on the motion and sit on the borough council?

• Is it ethical for that same member of the “not-for-profit” and the council to suggest that “Borough turn over borough-owned property at 1020 Blunston Street to the CEDC so that organization could dispose of the property in a manner ‘like’ the Turkey Hill Experience and the riverfront properties.”

• Is it ethical to be on the board of a “not-for-profit” entity and not be a contributing sponsor? To ask others to be a contributing sponsor?

• Is it ethical to fail to comply with or truthfully complete the state’s SEC-1 form?