By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
It’s becoming an almost regular event these days in southeast Louisiana: Some trusted elected official admitting he has been involved in some wrongdoing and asking the public for forgiveness.
Last month it was Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, apologizing for his phone number appearing in the records of the so-called “D.C. Madam.”
Today, it was Councilman, or should I say former Councilman, Oliver Thomas. (He resigned today.)
Thomas, in a teary public appearance this morning, admitted to and apologized for accepting $15,000 in bribes from Stan “Pampy” Barre, who wanted to maintain a city parking lot contract, said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.
Thomas’ admission has shocked many. He was seen as anticorruption, just as Vitter was seen as pro-family values.
There are many ways to view these recent scandals.
On the one hand, it shows how pervasive corruption continues to be in Louisiana government. That’s not good for our national image.
On the other hand, it indicates that crooked elected officials from Louisiana will be uncovered for who they truly are. That could be good for our image, at least according to Letten.
“This should be a positive message to people thinking about moving here,” Letten said today.
2 responses so far ↓
Anonymous // Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 5:04 am |
Deon,
If you can’t tell the difference between getting laid and getting paid then you may need to just push back from your keyboard and consider another profession. Journalism just might not be your cup of tea. Your obsession with David Vitter is starting to take on unhealthy undertones.
A more apt comparison to the Oliver Thomas situation would have been William Jeffersons. And while Oliver’s take was chump change compared to Jefferson’s, at least Oliver Thomas was man enough to stand in front the microphone and cameras and admit his failings and ask for forgiveness. As did Senator Vitter, although his refusal to air his dirty laundry seemed to rile you more than the actual deeds.
Bob Emery, Metairie
Deon Roberts // Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 11:42 pm |
Bob,
Bloggers write about current events, such as the scandals surounding Vitter and Thomas. Mentioning the Vitter scandal in this blog entry was essential to my core message: It seems there’s a new scandal in Louisiana politics every day these days.
Deon