Cleveland voters must break the cycle of forgetfulness that allows politicians like City Councilman Joe Jones, with a history of misconduct, to remain in office, writes columnist Leslie Kouba.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – I’m at that special age where I sometimes wonder if I’ve forgotten something or never knew it. It happens a little too often, in my opinion, but if the subject is positive, a double dose of delight could be possible. I’ll take it.
Hope. We want them to be good people so badly, we mentally erase their failures and give in to trusting them, again and again. The straw that triggered the investigation was when Jones made inappropriate comments to a local artist during a meeting, where a Destination Cleveland executive was present to witness it. Jones told the artist to take his number, so they could spend the weekend working on a new mural design together. The executive apologized to other attendees on Jones’ behalf and then reported the incident to Griffin. She was embarrassed. Rightly so.
Remember? Jones was elected to City Council back in 1995, when he was just 27 years old. Nine years later, he was indicted for federal crimes during the Nate Gray investigation. Jones pleaded guilty and served two years probation. After laying low but continuing to hang around, he appealed to have his record expunged. Although federal felony convictions cannot be expunged, a state court issued an order restoring his right to run for public office.
We hide in our stories so well, they become our true accounts of what we’ve done or experienced. But our elected officials can’t hide. They are public servants held to a higher standard because they handle our tax money and make policies that affect our daily lives. The poor me statement was followed by, “Although unintended, I recognize that my actions have made others feel uncomfortable and I sincerely apologize.” This sounds a lot like the familiar false apology – “If what I did made you feel bad, I’m sorry.”
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