West Penn Township, a community of about 4,300 in Schuylkill County, is the latest to adopt an anti-nepotism policy, which is in itself praiseworthy, but it doesn’t go far enough.

The three-member board of township supervisors adopted the policy and codified it into an ordinance earlier this month, but it applies only to themselves and not to other township department heads and managers. Since the supervisors do all of the hiring and firing, I am sure the limitation had something to do with the fact that any potential hires of employees in these other areas would get the supervisors’ scrutiny. Maybe so, but this leaves open the possibility of various interpretations and controversy.

Nepotism is the practice of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs for which they are not necessarily qualified. Nepotism is an offshoot of the “spoils system,” popularized by Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States.

“To the victor belong the spoils” is the phrase usually associated with this concept and associated with William Marcy, a U.S. senator from New York, in 1832. He was railing against the Jackson administration which took office in 1829 and which stacked many of its top jobs with loyalists. The practice still largely exists today in administrations at all levels of government, although there are notable exceptions and prohibitions under civil service laws.

In smaller communities, such as West Penn Township, where it is said that just about everybody knows each other, it is sometimes difficult to hire a person who does not have some kind of connection with the person or people doing the hiring. It might be as simple as an acquaintance or a neighbor, but in other cases it is relatives who might be looking for a job and believe the relative doing the hiring has a “duty” to make sure that family comes first.

Of course, in government, such an attitude is a prescription for all sorts of mischief, and that is why I commend the West Penn Township supervisors for adopting a policy that specifically exempts close relatives of any of the three from getting township jobs.

The list of relatives is extensive and includes spouses, children, siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews.

There is a “grandfather clause,” which means that any of the relatives on this list who might already be working for the township will not lose their jobs. There is also a several week lag time between adoption of the ordinance and when it takes effect.

This type of policy should make perfect logic, and every municipality should have one. Conflicts of interest and nepotism are damaging to an organization’s credibility. The relative might be the most qualified to hold the job. It doesn’t matter. There are lots of qualified people if the salary and benefits are right and if the hiring organization is diligent enough in its search. Elected officials should always avoid the appearance of preferential treatment, improper influence, bias and favoritism.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.