03/01/2024
Things are really starting to boil here in Elsie! I never seem to know what is going to happen next! The brilliant minds at the Fire Board have appointed none other than “Credible” Kerry to a fancy new board position! You may recall Kerry from his recent hits songs like, "I Pretended to be an Official When I'm Just Some Guy” and “Oops, Just got Signing Authority on the District Bank Accounts and Shouldn’t Have.” What stellar judgment from the current fire board on their new pick!
While Kerry's behavior was undoubtedly hilarious (said no one ever), I do wonder whether impersonating an elected official and unlawfully voting on executive motions and accessing banking accounts under false pretenses, maybe, just possibly qualifies as criminal. But hey, who really understands all those pesky "rules" and "laws" anyway?
In all seriousness though, Kerry's actions with the rest of the board trying to sweep all this under the rug, shows profoundly poor ethics, judgment, and transparency. They have undermined the trust and integrity vital in public service leadership. Breaking laws meant to protect the department and this erodes social contracts we all rely upon. How can one best make amends when such harm has occurred? Maybe, an “Oops, we really screwed the pooch this time!” Would go a long way toward making things right.
Personally, if I were Kerry, I would have a serious heart-to-heart with our District Attorney to understand legal ramifications and how far he has gone over the line. But what do I know? I've never impersonated a government official before! *wink wink* Still, understanding the full scope of damage seems prudent before jumping back in the saddle again as a new board member. Perhaps now that Kerry is on the board “again” and actually answers to no-one in our district, he can simply just pardon himself.
I chuckle thinking what punishments might fit these "crimes against the people." Maybe ten lashes with a wet noodle. Of course, no punishment could repair public trust once violated. Yet there should still be accountability matched to damage, along with an authentic apology and perhaps a sincere visible change in transparency from the entire board by having real face-to-face meetings where the public can ask questions and get real answers.
Truly though, I wonder how everyday citizens can feel protected and cared for when laws and regulations that are put in place to help our public welfare are so brazenly ignored. Where does that leave the common citizen like you and me? I suppose feelings of shame, distrust, and anger seem natural after such betrayal like this. Perhaps this is how the 20 ex-volunteers feel like too. I would never want to work under such an untrustworthy board either.
While Kerry's escapades evoke absurd humor on the surface, the underlying social transgressions are deeply disheartening. Laws exist to guide, protect and serve the people. When our elected officials disregard rules like this, it signals a time for all the voters in the Elsie and Jewell community to step up, and recall & replace all of them.
