The DAC members shall conduct themselves in accordance with the following ethical standards:
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity, and civility in every action and statement
- Serve as models of leadership and courtesy to the community
- Be independent, impartial and fair in their judgment and actions
- Use their appointment for the public good, not for personal gain
- Conduct deliberations and processes openly, unless required to be confidential, in an atmosphere of respect and mutual consideration
With these principles in mind, the DAC will use the following ethical guidelines:
Act in the Public Interest: The council members have a wide variety of backgrounds, personalities, values, opinions, and goals. Their common goal is to ensure that all—regardless of race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, religion, age, ability, or access needs—feel welcome, supported, and recognized by our publications and at our events. In all cases, this common goal should be acknowledged even though individuals may not agree on every issue. Members will work for the common good of the people and not for any private or personal interest, and they will assure fair and equal treatment of all persons, claims, decisions, and transactions coming before them.
Adhere to the Law: Members shall comply with the laws of the nation, the State of New York, and the City of New York or any state and city that Vogue Knitting LIVE events will be held in the performance of their public duties.
Maintain Proper Personal Conduct: The professional and personal conduct of members must avoid impropriety. Members shall refrain from abusive conduct, personal charges, or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other members of Council or public.
Exhibit Proper Meeting Conduct: Members will prepare in advance of the meetings and be familiar with issues on the agenda, listen courteously and attentively to all discussions, be respectful of other people’s time, stay focused and act efficiently, and focus on the business at hand. Members must fully participate in meetings and other public forums while demonstrating respect, kindness, consideration, and courtesy to others.
Make Impartial Decisions: Members shall make decisions based on the merits and substance of the matter under discussion, not on unrelated considerations. Members shall maintain an open mind and shall base their decisions on the facts presented. A member who has a potential conflict of interest shall disclose so immediately and cooperate to analyze the potential conflict. If determined by the DAC that there is a conflict of interest, that member will not participate in the decision at hand.
Refuse Gifts and Favors: Members shall not take any special advantage of services or opportunities for personal gain. They shall refrain from accepting any gifts, favors, or promises of future benefits that might compromise their independence of judgement or action or give the appearance of being compromised.
Preserve Confidential Information: Members must maintain the confidentiality of all written materials and verbal information that is confidential or privileged. Members shall neither disclose confidential information without proper authorization nor use such information to advance their personal, financial, or other private interests.
Maintain Order: Carrie Kilmer, CEO of SoHo Publishing, is the current chair of the DAC; until the DAC votes on the new chair. It is the responsibility of the chair to keep the members on track during meetings and focus on the current agenda. The chair will ensure that each member has an equal amount of time to talk about each agenda point and voice their opinion, if they choose to. If there is a disagreement about the agenda or the chair’s actions, those objections should be voiced politely and with reason. Only the chair (not individual members) can interrupt a speaker during a meeting. However, a member can ask the chair for a point of order if the speaker is off topic or exhibiting behavior or language the member finds disturbing.
Raise Personal Issues Respectfully: If a member is personally offended by the remarks of another member, the offended member should make notes of the actual words used and call for the chair to challenge the other member to justify or apologize for the language used. This can be brought up during the meeting in which the member was offended or directly after the meeting, then it can be discussed the following meeting. The chair will maintain control of this discussion.
