Applying Ethical Decision-Making Models to Guerrilla Government
The Assignment (3– pages in APA format): Your paper should include the following:
• A description of the ethical issue you identified in the “Guerrilla Government in EPA’s Seattle Regional Office” case study
• A description of the issues the political appointees faced in this case and an explanation of federal ethics law violations
• An explanation of why you think the career employees were motivated to use guerrilla tactics as a solution despite the risks to their careers (e.g., competing obligations) and whether their choice of guerrilla action was ethical
• An explanation of how these actions affected the organization and public policy
• A description of the actions leaders within the EPA might have taken to manage guerrilla government and an explanation of how those actions might have changed the outcome of the situation
• An evaluation of the potential lessons for public administrators and the importance of these lessons
Applying Ethical Decision-Making Models to Guerrilla Government
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Applying Ethical Decision-Making Models to Guerrilla Government
Description of the ethical issue
In the case study entitled “Guerrilla Government in EPA’s Seattle Regional Office,” one notable ethical issue is abuse of power by administrator John Spencer. Spencer took advantage of tax payer’s money to purchase EPA membership in the Chamber of Commerce. O’Leary (2014) says that Spencer broke several federal policies like the Civil Service Reform Act and he failed to maintain constitutional loyalty. Instead of protecting government property, Spencer misappropriated public funds and used them for personal benefits. Despite the fact that his actions were unethical and immoral, spencer failed to listen to the advice that he was going against the guidelines of the federal government.
Issues facing political appointees
Political appointees faced numerous issues, including involuntary transfer, job termination, and isolation by their seniors, especially when it comes to making important decisions. During Spencer’s tenure, violation of federal ethics law became rampant and it affected public policies. He violated several federal ethical laws by disregarding other officers when it came to making important decisions. He also bypassed several constitutional processes when entering into contract agreements (O’Leary, 2014). During Robie Russell’s tenure, he failed to make important administrative decisions, such as reporting that the Idaho potatoes posed health risks as a result of the pesticide that was known as aldicarb. He also went against the recommendation of the EPA employees when he approved the discharge of water pollutants. A report released to the Congressional Committee by Ann Grouch revealed that such actions went against the Civil Service Reform Act and thus violated both civil and criminal statutes. Therefore, employees found guilty of such accusations can be fired, fined, demoted, or imprisoned since it was a violation of ethics provisions.
Motivation to use Guerrilla tactics
The career employees were motivated to use Guerrilla tactics since they were dissatisfied by the administrators as well as the unethical leadership styles of their bosses. Therefore, a variety of ethical obligations compelled the public servants to use Guerrilla tactics, as outlined in the message of Waldo’s map of ethical obligations (O’Leary, 2014). Although these tactics posed a risk to their careers, their actions were ethical since the complaints they made to the office of director Spencer were not given full attention. This implies that the office only made a sub-par finding to the complaints that were made by the employees. A public servant is required to maintain public trust, ethical and legal principles, and maintain constitutional loyalty (USDA O...