The city’s long-sought but at times neglected ethics board is finally taking shape. 

After going months without approval of any applicants, Mayor Fred McCarthy has appointed two members. On Monday at the city council’s regular meeting, McCarthy appointed Dr. Fred Herzon, who was unanimously confirmed by the five city council members.

In an April city council meeting, Bob Frause was appointed as the first member.

“I feel very fortunate to be appointing the second member,” McCarthy said.

The mayor touted Herzon’s extensive history as a professor at the University of New Mexico’s medical school. As a leading professor in Albuquerque, McCarthy said Herzon helped draft the medical school’s ethics guideline.

Herzon, who attended the May 4 council meeting, said he was eager to be part of the city’s still-in-process ethics board.

“I look forward to serving,” he said.

Frause, the first appointed member, brings with him decades of ethics code creation and education experience. He served on the ethics and professional standards board of the Public Relations Society of America for 20 years, including as its chairman, and tweaked the ethics code for the Worth of Mouth Marketing Association.

After reading a story in The Record about the city’s struggle to find applicants, Frause (with an admitted amount of encouragement from Sue Frause, his wife) applied.

“This is right down my sweet spot,” he said. “I’ve got a pretty good background in ethics and I thought this would be a good opportunity to give back.”

Frause served Langley as a city councilman in the 1980s, but stepped away to focus on his business. After selling his business in August 2014, Frause said he was looking forward to having more time for travel, but was prodded into action by the board’s vacancies.

“If we do this right, it could be a model for other municipalities out there, even county governments,” Frause said.

Mayor Fred McCarthy implemented a rigorous application and screening process that involved five letters of recommendation, a background check and in interview. McCarthy said police Chief Dave Marks, Councilman Bruce Allen and he interviewed Herzon, who under the right circumstances could reverse the roles in his capacity as an ethics board member.

Langley’s ethics board is responsible for reviewing ethics complaints and administering ethics training to city employees and elected officials, as well as communicating that its ethics code extends to anyone contracted by the city. Teaching people about the city’s ethical expectations was going to be a focus for Frause.

“I’m a real believer in education, ethics education,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday.

“We won’t be the spokespeople for ethics,” he added. “We’re going to work for the mayor and council and city on this thing. We’re going to focus our talents on educating folks and participants in the code.”

Before the board can begin serving in its full capacity, it will need to have at least five members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. McCarthy said one of his goals is to have a gender diverse board of three men and three women, with one member serving as an alternate.

Four other applications have been submitted, McCarthy said, and are at varying stages in the appointment process.