What if Thomas hadn’t been busted?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

There is no official Oliver Thomas fan club. At least I’m not aware of one.

But if there were, it would have no trouble finding members.

This week, Thomas admitted accepting $15,000 in bribes in 2002 from Stan “Pampy” Barre, who wanted to maintain a city parking lot contract.

Since Thomas’ admission, which felt like a sucker punch to a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, Thomas supporters have poured forward.

Of course, there is no shortage of citizens overflowing with rage about Thomas’ dealings. But there are also many people standing behind Thomas, saying how proud they are that he confessed and that he is still “a good man.”

Mayor Nagin has turned out to be one of Thomas’ strongest supporters.

“It looks like it was very difficult for him, but he stood up as true man and admitted his mistakes,” Nagin said in a statement.

“Oliver, in my opinion, is a good man who has made a mistake, admitted it and asked for our forgiveness. He now stands ready to accept the consequences of his actions. … Today I personally ask everyone in the community to treat this man with compassion and balance.”

Nagin is not alone; many others have made sympathetic statements about Thomas this week.

There’s nothing wrong with compassion. The world could use a lot more of it.

But let’s not forget that Thomas was busted. Only then did he confess and accepted a deal with prosecutors, no doubt to reduce his punishment.

Thomas accepted the bribe years ago. He had all that time to come clean. He didn’t. It was only after he was busted that the world learned of what he had done.

He even ran for re-election in 2006, well after accepting the bribe. Those who voted for him had no idea of the secret he was hiding.

He’s said he’s sorry. He’s shed tears. He told WDSU-TV anchor Norman Robinson he thought about suicide.

But did he say those things because he really means them? Or did he say them to show remorse to a judge in order to reduce his punishment?

What if Thomas had never been busted? We may never have learned of his wrongdoing.