Ben Pearlman Should Finish the Job He Was Elected to Do
Published in the Longmont Times Call, 12/15/11
Sarah Palin taught us many lessons on how not to behave in public life. The lesson I found most illuminating was that elected officials should not leave public office before their term ends, especially when done for purely personal gains, as Governor Palin did when she resigned to cash in on her newfound fame. When you run for office, you make a commitment to voters to fulfill the responsibilities of the office through the end of your term. Boulder County Commissioner Ben Pearlman apparently missed the memo on that one.
In November, Commissioner Pearlman announced that he would seek the job of County Attorney which is being vacated at the end of December. Should he be selected for this position, he would then resign as County Commissioner. The other County Commissioners, Will Toor and Cindy Domenico, will make the selection and have assured us that there will be no favoritism towards Commissioner Pearlman. This is wrong on so many fronts that it’s hard to know where to begin.
First, Commissioner Pearlman should take the lesson from Governor Palin and finish the job we elected him to do. Walking away from your commitments is a sign of poor character and that alone makes him unfit for further public service, especially the County Attorney job. He’s walking away from his commitment to County voters to take a better job with the County. Even Sarah didn’t have the nerve to pull a stunt like that.
Then there’s the issue of who decides if he gets the County Attorney Job – his two fellow County Commissioners. Of course, Commissioner Pearlman is hedging his bets and will not resign from the Board of County Commissioners until he gets the job. So, as Commissioners Toor and Domenico determine his fate, they will all continue to work together. Anyone who thinks that this will provide a level playing field for other candidates who would like the County Attorney job has their head in the sand.
However, there is another less obvious, but more insidious, reason that this should not happen. Currently, next November we are slated to elect a new County Commissioner to replace Ben Pearlman who is term-limited. However, if he becomes the County Attorney, then the Boulder Democratic Party will select a replacement to finish out his term as County Commissioner. This individual will, no doubt, become next year’s Democratic candidate for County Commissioner and, by virtue of their incumbency, a strong favorite to win and maintain the Democrat’s single-party rule of the Board of Boulder County Commissioners. This creates a significant political incentive for Democratic County Commissioners Toor and Domenico to replace Commissioner Pearlman now with another Democrat, thereby further skewing the County Attorney selection process in favor of Commissioner Pearlman. This move presents a strong whiff of just plain old sleazy power politics that seems more at home in Chicago than Boulder.
Everyone despises the revolving doors of government where a select few benefit from incestuous relationships between elected officials and those taking advantage of their money and power. Ben Pearlman should finish his term or, if he chooses to continue seeking the position of County Attorney, he should immediately resign as Boulder County Commissioner and whoever takes his place should pledge not to run for election next year.
Sarah Palin taught us many lessons on how not to behave in public life. The lesson I found most illuminating was that elected officials should not leave public office before their term ends, especially when done for purely personal gains, as Governor Palin did when she resigned to cash in on her newfound fame. When you run for office, you make a commitment to voters to fulfill the responsibilities of the office through the end of your term. Boulder County Commissioner Ben Pearlman apparently missed the memo on that one.
In November, Commissioner Pearlman announced that he would seek the job of County Attorney which is being vacated at the end of December. Should he be selected for this position, he would then resign as County Commissioner. The other County Commissioners, Will Toor and Cindy Domenico, will make the selection and have assured us that there will be no favoritism towards Commissioner Pearlman. This is wrong on so many fronts that it’s hard to know where to begin.
First, Commissioner Pearlman should take the lesson from Governor Palin and finish the job we elected him to do. Walking away from your commitments is a sign of poor character and that alone makes him unfit for further public service, especially the County Attorney job. He’s walking away from his commitment to County voters to take a better job with the County. Even Sarah didn’t have the nerve to pull a stunt like that.
Then there’s the issue of who decides if he gets the County Attorney Job – his two fellow County Commissioners. Of course, Commissioner Pearlman is hedging his bets and will not resign from the Board of County Commissioners until he gets the job. So, as Commissioners Toor and Domenico determine his fate, they will all continue to work together. Anyone who thinks that this will provide a level playing field for other candidates who would like the County Attorney job has their head in the sand.
However, there is another less obvious, but more insidious, reason that this should not happen. Currently, next November we are slated to elect a new County Commissioner to replace Ben Pearlman who is term-limited. However, if he becomes the County Attorney, then the Boulder Democratic Party will select a replacement to finish out his term as County Commissioner. This individual will, no doubt, become next year’s Democratic candidate for County Commissioner and, by virtue of their incumbency, a strong favorite to win and maintain the Democrat’s single-party rule of the Board of Boulder County Commissioners. This creates a significant political incentive for Democratic County Commissioners Toor and Domenico to replace Commissioner Pearlman now with another Democrat, thereby further skewing the County Attorney selection process in favor of Commissioner Pearlman. This move presents a strong whiff of just plain old sleazy power politics that seems more at home in Chicago than Boulder.
Everyone despises the revolving doors of government where a select few benefit from incestuous relationships between elected officials and those taking advantage of their money and power. Ben Pearlman should finish his term or, if he chooses to continue seeking the position of County Attorney, he should immediately resign as Boulder County Commissioner and whoever takes his place should pledge not to run for election next year.
