I have been part of meetings where the member stays after stating they recused themselves. In other instances, I have been part of meetings where the individual left the room after stating they were recusing themselves because of a potential conflict of interest. I preferred the second as our communication is far more than verbal, but includes those body language cues and hence becomes a part of discussion consideration, whether a word is spoken or not.
By leaving the room, the elected officials for Moab proved they had fully recused themselves from the discussions. They removed the non-verbal distractions and allowed open discussion. So hats off not just talking the talk, but walking the walk and standing for integrity and good ethics. Thank you.
Deborah Barton
—Moab