Ethics Imperative to Government Relations Success in Our Capitals
By Michael Fulton
Executive Vice President, Washington, D.C.
mfulton@golinharris.com

There can be absolutely no compromise on ethics – you are either ethical or you are not. Ethics is a requirement for earning trust and at GolinHarris trust is more than a tagline, we live it everyday – especially in Washington, DC.

Recent scandals have rocked the nation's capital with unthinkable acts of bribery, forgery, deceit, mail fraud, over-billing and improper use of e-mail technology. Those on trial, convicted or charged with this conduct are surprisingly Members of Congress, their staff, lobbyists and defense contractors.

Those of us who communicate in government settings need to be on our best behavior at all times and set a model for others to follow. In my 25 years working in Congress and at this public relations agency, I would be hard-pressed to find a time where government leaders at all levels held such a low public opinion rating. In an election year, this is not a favorable trend for incumbents.

The reaction by Congress and the White House – as well as in some state capitals – has been to tighten the reins on lobbyists who enjoy First Amendment rights of advocacy and who add considerably to the public policymaking process.

Before any number of extreme measures are adopted, those of us working as lobbyists and public affairs practitioners need to be proactive, not defensive, as the dialogue continues. At GolinHarris, we continue to comply with existing measures and use our experience and position to strengthen industry-wide compliance among peers and clients alike. But, earning trust requires us to do more:

Reporting: We punctually submit the required twice yearly lobbying reports to the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate and register for each client we sign on. We go out of our way to abide by gift and meal limitations, even educating our Congressional guests to the "costs" of client and agency offerings of fellowship.

Education: GolinHarris as an agency is big on training, and we have added for our lobbyists and public affairs professionals special certification classes on ethics offered by the American League of Lobbyists and George Mason University.

Communication: At each staff meeting and gathering of the government relations team, we add time to our agenda to talk through any scenarios that could put our clients or us in an awkward or questionable position. Sometimes even the appearance of impropriety can send the wrong message.

Self-Policing: It is critical that we watch each other and provide checks and balances that will prevent any potential ethical breaches. Honest and candid feedback on client campaigns, tactics, sponsorships, events, campaign contributions and meetings is essential. Our company offers a toll-free hotline to report any questionable employee practices.

Enforcement: Congress has given those regulating lobbyists and communicators the tools and the teeth to effect improper behavior, and the overseers need to exercise their power before harsher rules and penalties are enacted.

Client and New Staff Orientation: We counsel each new client and new staff person working in government about the appropriate rules and regulations that must be followed to appropriately lobby Congress. We have turned down assignments for organizations that did not make us confident that they would properly advocate or would follow the rules.

Consultation: We don't hesitate to ask the experts when we don't know the answer to a possible scenario. Our experience is that the Ethics Committee, Secretary of the Senate, Federal Elections Commission, and other resources are able and willing to respond quickly to our questions.

The need for strong representation in Washington, D.C. and in our state capitals is as great now as it has ever been. Current unethical and criminal conduct should not deter those who have something to say and who need help voicing their opinions or ideas. There are far more dedicated elected representatives, eager staff aides who are in government for the right reasons and lobbyists, public affairs professionals and grassroots advocates who add value to our political debate than there are those who are making headlines and de-valuing our system.

GolinHarris is focused on building trust with our nation's policy leaders through ethics leadership and powerful communications ideas. For us, it's not a new concept – it's the way we've been doing business for 50 years.