Regardless of whom voters elect as mayor and to the New London City Council in November, one thing that will need quick attention is the dysfunctional Board of Ethics.

Who says the board is dysfunctional? The board says so.

In the final twist involving an ethics complaint filed by former councilor Reid Burdick against Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio, board Chairman K. Robert Lewis announced this week that his board had dismissed the matter. Mr. Lewis pointed to the board’s inability to get the five votes that would be necessary to find the mayor, or anyone, had violated the city’s Code of Ethics ordinance.

In other words, the board cannot function.

There are four active members on the seven-person panel, with one vacancy, according to the chairman. Mr. Lewis wrote in his “Notice of Final Action” that two Democratic appointees — Minerva Dudley-Clark and Constance Fields — have consistently missed meetings, and were absent again Oct. 8. You can't get five votes with four active members.

Our editorial position has been that it would better serve everyone to have an active regional ethics commission, eliminating the local politics and conflicts that often arise when a complaint arises. However, creation of a regional ethics board cannot happen quickly if it happens all, because it would first require enabling state legislation.

In the meantime, the council and mayor will need to straighten out New London’s board. It needs to find out why members are not attending meetings and, if necessary, find replacements who do want to participate. A review of the current ethics ordinance is also necessary.

The complaint by Mr. Burdick against Mayor Finizio was a strange one to begin with. The mayor said he considered Mr. Burdick’s repeated contention that Mayor Finizio does not pay property taxes because he “doesn’t own a house or a car,” to be “homophobic.” The mayor notes that the car and home are in his husband’s name but, like most couples, they share the tax burden. He has questioned whether Mr. Burdick would have made the same comment about a heterosexual couple in the public eye.

It remains baffling how that little tête-à-tête became an ethical matter. After the ethics board found probable cause, and Mayor Finizio lost the Democratic primary, Mr. Burdick sought to withdraw the complaint, questioning the fairness of a board dominated by Republicans.

The dismissal is the right ending, but for an odd reason.