Product endorsements: Not just for athletes and other celebrities. Motorola ad brings up ethics issues.
The testimonial above from Saginaw County 911 Director Tom McIntyre has the local newspaper looking at the ethics of government officials endorsing products.
Tom McIntyre says his appearance in a brochure and video has no connection to Motorola winning a $13.6 dollar contract to upgrade the communications system. McIntyre is getting a lot of support from other local officials, but those who deal in ethics issues see a problem.
Click here to see the entire brochure.
Read the article from mlive.com.
Here are excerpts:
McIntyre said he received no compensation from the company for appearing in a 2004 videotape and quotes attributed to him in a four-page corporate brochure. He also said he does not have a vote on the 911 authority board.
Authorities said a 911 authority’s operations panel of police and fire chiefs recommended purchasing all equipment, including 1,500 radios, through Motorola. Personnel will start to use the system in late 2009.
”We’ve had excellent luck with the Motorola system that we have had,” said Saginaw Township Fire Chief Jim I. Peterson, a 911 authority board member.
Even so, a Saginaw Valley State University ethics instructor said public officials appearing in corporate ads could potentially undermine trust in government.
”It’s not appropriate for county commissioners or supervisors or department heads to appear in corporate ads,” said Francis C. Dane, the Finkbeiner Endowed Chair in Ethics at SVSU. He said it could give the appearance of a conflict of interest.
”I see that as a compliment to Saginaw County that they chose to highlight our 911 system,” said County Commissioner Patrick A. Wurtzel, a Thomas Township Republican.
Steve Gorecki, a Motorola spokesman in Schaumburg, Ill., said sales personnel promoted the brochure at trade shows. Some customers ask to give testimonials, he added, but none are paid.
For the latest project, authorities said they relied on a ”state bid process” that selected the communications maker. Authorities said they also relied on the $40,000 opinion of an independent consultant that recommended the company.
Thomas Township Police Chief Stephen Kocsis, an authority board member, said the county had to chose Motorola to link into a statewide communications emergency network the company built. It also chose the communications maker for a multimillion-dollar radio purchase instead of another vendor to eliminate potential problems of trying to cobble together systems from different manufacturers.
