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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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PUBLIC SERVICE IS STILL NOBLE - EVEN WHEN SOME SERVANTS ARE NOT The events of earlier this week were extremely demoralizing for the many honest public servants in Monmouth County. Acting on a long time promise, Attorney General Chris Christie lowered the boom on political corruption. Not only did he make an example of some high profile players, but also he sent the message that he is not finished in our area just yet. Most people enter elected to office with good intentions. Like most fields, there are some shady characters, but generally, stupidity and ineptness don’t come with a jail term attached. Unfortunately, the outcome of these arrests will further damage politics as a noble field, and the public will view many decent, hard working public servants with a wary eye. Monmouth County has over 250 people serving as government officials. If we added school board members to that mix, there are probably over 1,000 people that are volunteering to help make their community a better place to live. So far, the investigation has charged only a very small percentage of that pool, but the brush of corruption will be painted over our entire lot. There are more good politicians in our county than corrupt money grabbers. For every official that promises a construction job for cash rewards, there are a dozen other public servants that are protecting open space or working hard on a school expansion. As someone that is in the business, you can’t rationalize the avarice that took place, you can only scratch your head and wonder why. There is also sadness that our county has suffered such a damaging black eye, but at the same time, we are thankful for the ongoing cleanup of the swamp.
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