Legislators must work to win public trust
John Florez
Years ago, when Intel got customer complaints about a bug in its microchip, it first tried to downplay the problem. Then its share price dropped and public pressure forced it to exchange the defective parts.
In 1982, Johnson & Johnson got hit with the Tylenol scandal when someone laced the drug with poison and its market value plummeted by $1 billion. In 1986, it got hit again with the same problem, but by then it had learned from its earlier mistake of not having responded to public pressure and quickly ordered the product pulled off the shelves. The company decided it would not sell the product until it could assure its safety to customers. It was later rewarded for its candor by increased profits and customer trust.
Both companies learned that the public's perception about trust in them was critical for staying in business. They also found that by being open about their problems and acting quickly to correct them, they could regain the public's confidence and even increase profits.
Recent polls show voters want broad ethical reform in the legislature. When 78 percent of Utahns would like to see legislators receive ethics training, it says they lack the most important ingredient citizens want from their government — trust and confidence. Some legislators rationalized and ignored the poll's findings, similar to that of Intel's initial response.
It is a disease all individuals in authority must guard against, be they judges, teachers or doctors who have the power to affect the lives of individuals. All too often they are isolated, and because they are in power, sometimes they get a distorted perception of the role they play. Furthermore, they often feel they have to be omnipotent and have all the answers. All voters ask is that they level with them, have a little humility and admit their mistakes.
Legislators need not waste time pointing out how decent their members are and the personal sacrifices they make. The public knows that and appreciates their hard work. However, it's the perception the public has formed over what it sees: taking gifts and money from lobbyists, retired legislators immediately morphing into lobbyists, lack of full gift disclosure, and the glib responses about conflict of interest. As Intel learned the hard way, perception matters. While some legislators are quick to blame the media, it's not the media that created the problem.
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