September 30, 1999

Engineering Times
e-Mail et@nspe.org
1420 King St
Alexandria, VA 22314-2794

To the Editor:

It is with interest that I read about the problems of Ed Turner, the ex City Engineer in Idaho and the wavering support he gets from members and the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers Board. I have chosen throughout my career to give up positions/clients to hold to my Professional Ethics. And have found what happens is that "they" just go out and hire someone who will do what and the way they want. This brings to mind an article written by a former Oklahoma Society of Professional Engineers President with the subject, "Ethics is a sliding scale!’ What is ethical for one is not for another." And as noted by letter about the Board of Ethical Review(BER) is not decided by peers without question.

When I first read about Turner’s guts to stand up for what he believes is right I questioned my own actions of just resigning in certain unethical (by my definition) actions. As a City Manager, agreeing with a developer that substandard work could be accepted, or placing a non engineer, let alone not professional, over the Engineering Department. Or a County Commissioner soliciting bids by word of mouth and his friend being low bidder. Since I was County Engineer and enforced the engineering work to be done to the specified standard, not to the one agreed to by the Commissioner and his friend, I was removed as County Engineer using other trumped up reasons, of course. My daughter used this subject for a paper on ethics during her Management Degree Course at Monterey Institute of International studies.

A donation to Ed Turner’s fund would be in order: Turner Engineering Litigation Assistance, P.O. Box 1341, Idaho Falls, ID 83403-1341

Sincerely,

Oklahoma & Colorado Engineer