It is not a great time to be running for the mayor of Montreal. In fact, it will be a major challenge for anyone in the City of Montreal to believe that any political utterance by a candidate for mayor to be true. Not only one ethical lapse rocks Montreal, but now two with the arrest of their interim mayor.
In an online CNN piece by Paula Newton (June 18, 2013) entitled: Montreal’s interim mayor arrested on fraud charges, we learn that Michael Applebaum, Montreal’s Interim Mayor, has been arrested for allegedly committing, “…14 criminal counts including fraud, breach of trust and conspiracy…” between 2006 and 2011. We also learn that Applebaum replaced Gerald Tremblay, the former mayor of Montreal, who was thrown out of office for alleged acts of corruption as well.
With a touch of irony, it was Applebaum who politicked on the platform of eliminating sleaze in government. “Sleaze” is a word most of us don’t use too much even though we know what it means. Sleaze is a word often used by politicians to describe other politicians, but it seems that almost none of them understand its meaning.
According to Ms. Newton, at Applebaum’s inquiry it was revealed that Montreal “(has) widespread corruption allegations and close relationships between elected officials, city employees, contractors and even organized crime.”
We have been conditioned; it would seem, to expect our politicians to be sleazy. The fact that one corrupt mayor replaced another is almost expected in today’s society. Politicians seem to most of us to have built in wiring to fail. Even if they are well-intentioned men and women, their political rivals will spend months, if not years digging dirt on them. They will, of course, sling the dirt in the other direction until all we have is one big mud pie.
At a time when we need our politicians to be upright, when North America cries out for strong leaders, we seem to be heading in the direction of electing more and more of those who serve office for personal gain and not the greater good. This is an ethical challenge and one that local governments need to address. No longer can we assume ethical action, it is time to take decisive steps to instill the desire to act ethically.
I often talk about serious ethical missteps being created by opportunity. In terms of real estate, Mr. Applebaum’s alleged criminal area of choice; surely no one has more access to information than a well-placed politician.
The mayor of a large city be it in Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles or New York, is in a position to know what is being developed and by whom. Who has the influence to buy and who can be influenced to sell? They know can inspect and who can be encouraged to look the other way. The politician need not get his or her hands dirty; through complex political webs and wheels within wheels, corruption may occur for many years without the politician or bureaucrat ever getting dirty. This leads me to think about “blink factors.”
The Blink Factor
Having sat through my fair share of political discourse, I am always amused when one politician turns to another and says something like: “Ms. Jones, would you be willing to sign a pledge right here and right now that you will not take money from lobby groups?”
This invariably leads to meaningless chatter that ultimately accomplishes nothing.
However suppose a special penalty was enacted by law that would treat politicians as a special class of citizen? If a mayor were involved in an act of corruption should the fines and prison penalties be doubled? Tripled?
Most politicians, being lawyers, would vigorously fight such a notion. They would stand on their law books and holler bloody murder. Let them yell. If I am due to have surgery, and the surgeon shows up to the procedure stinking drunk, as they say, would there not be penalties? Suppose the procedure takes place and the surgery is botched, would there not be extra penalties imposed by the state review board and other governing bodies? Clearly the surgeon was in a position of power. Suppose the nurses, technicians and anesthesiologist knew the surgeon was drunk; should they also face jail time?
Should every politician be required to take a Chuck Gallagher ethics seminar? I am kidding; it would be unethical to filter everyone through one teacher! Nevertheless, should local, state and federal government officials understand the penalties of their misuse of public office? I would think so. From the Florida Association of Counties to the City of Fort Collins, CO – local governments are seeing the value in focusing attention on the ethical actions of their elected officials and those employed by local and state governments. Ethics goes beyond words and an ethics and compliance document to understanding what motivates ethical behavior and how we keep employees and those elected between the ethical lines.
At some point those in the public trust must be held accountable. At some point, we must make them blink. If the promise of public humiliation isn’t enough, what about the promise of mandatory jail time?
“Sleaze” means nothing; signing pledges means even less. Mandatory penalties that are enforced might be the last thing they understand. What is your opinion?
