Today the main cheerleader for the idea that David Gantt should appoint Monroe County's Public Defender editorializes that candidates for county office should state their position on the process. Thus the D&C serves notice on county legislative candidates that this will be part of their endorsement interviews.
Every Republican County Legislator and candidate should answer: "I will support and apply the law."
You see, the law requires that the PD be appointed by the County Legislature. That's it.
The Democratic-Media Complex doesn't like Republican bodies making public policy decisions. That's OK for public bodies run by Democrats. But Republican bodies are supposed to share decision-making with Democratic constituencies. "What's ours is ours. What's yours is up for grabs."
Today the D&C repeats its contemptible lie from 2008, that Republicans overturned the established process for chosing the PD and did something different that year. A point-for-point inversion of the truth: in 2008 Republicans made no change in the law governing appointment of the Defender.
What upset the newspaper and Gantt was that, back in the 1970s, the then-legislature acquiesced to an elaborate extra-legal contrivance giving Assemblyman-for-Life Gantt, his hangers-on and self-appointed "community leaders" a substantial influence over the selection. That was a change to the lawful process.
The PD appointed in the late 70s stayed on until 2008. That's when the issue came up again, and the legislature rightly insisted on fulfilling its legal responsibility.
It was that insistence on respecting lawful established process that outraged the likes of Gantt,the D&C and other enemies of the people.
Although Republicans got the policy choice right in 2008, they then completely abdicated leadership on the issue. It represents the most shameful episode in the history of the Republican majority in the County Legislature.
As local media spun a false narrative -- that the GOP was usurping a prescribed method for selecting the PD -- Republicans in the County Legislature remained silent and passive, incurring damaging negative publicity. They had the facts on their side as well as the law. Yet the public only heard from crazies like Gantt and the others who disrupted legislative meetings. For reasons still unexplained, the Republicans nearly undermined their own cause and the principle of the rule of law, by saying nothing.
Republican Legislators and candidates: You can atone for the GOP's cowardly performance in 2008. Stand tall when D&C functionaries bully you in endorsement interviews.
"I will support and apply the law."Of course you can solicit public input, hold public hearings and ask for the view of law-related organizations. But they're not charged with responsibility for making the decision. You are.
Your duty is to do the right thing, even if that brings some controversy. If you don't see it that way, then what the hell are you doing in public office?
Experience the exhilaration of standing tall in a blizzard of lies, armed with the truth, being in the right and fighting for it. That's what leadership and integrity in public office are about.
8 comments:
they should answer that when the GOP is given veto power over all City appointments, then the GOP majority in the County Legislature will share appointment authority with the Dems. I don't recall the GOP being asked its opinion when Molly Clifford was appointed to various positions - way above her education and experience in the city.
I'm not sure that the GOP was consulted each time a new RCSD chief was appointed. Nor when the RFD chief was appointed. Or when the City's Corporation Counsel was appointed.
the ridiculousness of the D&C is staggering.
Have recently heard the D&C will Not be doing any County Legislative
candidate endorsment interviews
this election year (not enough
decent democratic candidates to
endorse??)Or maybe it just takes up too much news space from the much needed ads Gannett has to generate for corporate $$.
Either way,don't matter much,of the little readership left at the D&C,even fewer pay attention to thier endorsments.
Dear Democrat and Chronicle,
Reader vote on you, but with their feet. On Sunday, your biggest day, you have lost 52,000 readers since 2005! Good job, Jim and Karen...down from 227,000 to 172,000! And, we do not even believe that inflated number. You are toast!!!!!
Minarik had it right when he got the GOP candidates to boycott the D&C editorial interviews. I never understood why he reversed course on that -- or maybe it was because RINOs like Alesi violated the boycott and thereby weakened it. Regardless, since Alesi is now a walking dead man, maybe its time for Reilich to do something as GOP chairman (he is still holding that job, right? just haven't seen too much evidence of it lately) and renew the boycott.
Anonymous 10:20pm --
Strongly disagree with your comments about GOP Chairman Reilich, for very good reasons like these
I always laugh when someone comes here to bash Republican Chairman Bill Reilich. His GOP candidate successes during the years where democrats have made their biggest inroads everywhere else in this state and country are basically legendary.
Minarik was great during his heyday but the local GOP was poised to lose many races near the end of his tenure. It happens, to no fault of soley his. A county legislature seat flipped to democrat along with several former GOP towns. There's nothing wrong with new blood and fresh ideas.
The County legislature GOP is now 16 strong and about to pick up 1-2 more seats. The D.A. will most likely turn GOP after 30 years of Democrat control and Joe Morelle and his Democrat machine has been shut down every single year, every single challenged seat since Reilich's time.
Time for certain GOP old-schoolers to stop hammering Reilich and get on the winning team. The GOP team that has been experiencing huge wins. The GOP team of the future.
Anonymous 10/16, 10:38 AM --
Very well said.
Our blogging crew here thinks of ourselves as brutally realistic in sizing up political matters.
Even with that attitude, I can't think of anything Reilich's been involved with that hasn't amounted to success for the Republican side.
It's about time the DA's office finally clean house. Green could care less about what's going on there since he is too focused on becoming a judge. No one is leading the ship over there.
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