Peggy Kerns: Director, NCSL Center for Ethics in Government.

• Position: THE FINAL WORD - National Conference of State Legislatures - Interview

Ethics scandals make news, big news. And they stoke cynicism and distrust among citizens in our representative democracy. So in 1999, when NCSL decided to create its Center for Ethics in Government, Peggy Kerns became its first director, and made 4 the Center one of the most respected ethics training programs in the nation. Today it's the only source of comprehensive information about ethics laws. A legislative leader herself, Peggy's political career included two terms on a city council, eight years in the Colorado House, and a position as deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Education. Among many other accolades, she was named Colorado Legislator of the Year by the Associated Press. Along the way she completed a master's in public administration. After 16 years, Peggy is stepping down, respected and acknowledged as one of the country's leading voices on ethics.

How do you rate the public's trust of politicians in 2015? Public trust has been low ever since I took the job. The problem with public perception of politicians is that it's distorted. Usually, members of the public like their own legislators because they know them. It's "everyone else" they don't trust. I don't know how to solve that. It worries me because I grew up in an era when public service was revered and respected. To think otherwise undermines the incentive for young people to aspire to what I aspired to, which was to serve the public. I think the proliferation of news sources feeds into that. We are bombarded by negativism. When there's distrust and skepticism, it weakens our form of government. There's a real danger there.

How has your experience as a legislator influenced your work directing an ethics center? I've been there and seen how laws work, or don't work, and I understand how people have ethical standards and follow them, or sometimes don't. One of the strengths of our Ethics Center is that we take a practical look at a very lofty topic like ethics and apply it to the real world. We do value-based training, helping legislators and legislative staff understand how to make decisions based on their own ethical standards.

What have you learned about the nature of ethics in public service? I know that lawmakers and staff on the whole are good ethical people who want to do the right thing. In ethics training try to help people understand there are gray areas, what we call right vs. right. The question becomes, what's right for you and meets your...