To the editor: The Attorney Accountability Ordinance should be revisited and revised, not repealed. Both the intent and the foundation of the ordinance are good. It safeguards the taxpayers and helps to ensure that our township is affiliated only with ethical attorneys. For the attorney, it merely entails signing a waiver authorizing the release of his/her ethical history report. For the township, it merely entails maintaining that report on file and making it available to the public upon request. It is neither costly nor cumbersome for either party. Indeed, it is incredibly simple. While some of this information is available on the OAE (Office of Attorney Ethics) Web site, it is listed by time period rather than by attorney. As a result, it is a time-consuming process to accumulate and summarize the ethical history of an attorney. If the ordinance is repealed, either a) NO ethical history report would be forthcoming, or b) this burden would unnecessarily be placed upon the township staff. This ordinance was written over three years ago and was the first of its kind. I strongly believe the ordinance needs to be improved upon, not repealed. For example, the waiver should be required during the interview process rather than at the time of the appointment. The attorney should be given 14 days to comply rather than seven days. For reappointments, an update should be required within 30 days prior to the expiration of the existing contract term. A complete, standardized background check (not currently required by this township) should be a mandated procedure as well. The Wright Brothers didn’t give up on their first prototype. Progress was made in aviation and progress can be made in West Milford too. West Milford needs to take the lead and take steps forward, not backward ... this ordinance needs to be revised, not repealed. If the council majority chooses to repeal the ordinance, their position regarding accountability and ethics is crystal clear. Bettina Bieri West Milford