Piling On?
Am I piling on? Am I kicking the Councilman while he's down? (Hey, the best time to kick a man is when he's down. He's right down there by your foot anyway. ) But seriously, I don't think that I am.
There are a couple of things at play in this latest Fairfield scandal. I don't know if I would be so aggressive writing about this if we hadn't gone through the John English experience. Also, the fact that Frank Kardos has twin positions of authority and trust: vice-principal of a high school and City Councilman. I think he should hold himself to a high standard. Plus, we know that Kardos holds other officials fo a very high standard. I think what's good for the goose...
Perhaps he's the world's unluckiest man. Maybe he's been arrested three times for the same offense and he was innocent all three times. That's possible. In his divorce papers, he denies hitting his ex-wife but claims to be a victim of abuse himself.
It's up to the legal system to determine the guilt or innocence of Frank Kardos. But I'm not going to forfeit my right to have an opinion on the matter. This isn't a court of law. i don't have to abide by the rules of evidence, hearsay rules, disclosure rules and what have you. The court of public opinion operates in it's own manner. It's verdicts are often swift. Usually, they are correct. Not all the time, mind you. But usually.
John English was a dynamic Councilman. He brought such energy and enthusiasm to the Council. He was tough on crime. He wasn't a near jerk anti-developer ideologue. He was a thoughtful guy on a fast track to be mayor, in my opinion. His drug problem just imploded his dream. And his complete denial about it was sad.
I don't know if the same thing is at work here with Frank Kardos because I don't know exactly what happened between him and his ex girlfriend. That's for the legal system to sort out. But I do see the same defiance. The arrogance. It would be stunning for me to see him step aside. Like John English, I see him riding this to the bitter end.
I don't really have personal feelings invested in this. i don't know Kardos personally. I've praised his work on the Council. I think he's charged with a despicable crime but I don't know him personally. I've got no axe to grind. No vendetta.
But my family moved to Fairfield in 1976. We didn't have these scandals. My vice-principal in high school was also mayor of Fairfield at the time. No scandal. It was a different time. If you look at local politics in Fairfield, you see Mayor George Pettygrove who was obviously drinking and driving and the police helped him out. Pettygrove fell outside his house in a drunken stupor and had to be helicoptered to the hospital. The City Manager tried to kill the story. Then we had Mayor Chuck Hammond, who I really liked, being fined for shady political practices. We had John English's implosion over drugs. We had City Council candidate Paul Randhawa arrested on the eve of the 2005 election for allegedly cheating customers in his business and fraud. Now we've got the Frank Kardos situation. Fairfield deserves better than this.
And if Frank Kardos doesn't like what I have to say about him, then he should open his mouth and say something.
There are a couple of things at play in this latest Fairfield scandal. I don't know if I would be so aggressive writing about this if we hadn't gone through the John English experience. Also, the fact that Frank Kardos has twin positions of authority and trust: vice-principal of a high school and City Councilman. I think he should hold himself to a high standard. Plus, we know that Kardos holds other officials fo a very high standard. I think what's good for the goose...
Perhaps he's the world's unluckiest man. Maybe he's been arrested three times for the same offense and he was innocent all three times. That's possible. In his divorce papers, he denies hitting his ex-wife but claims to be a victim of abuse himself.
It's up to the legal system to determine the guilt or innocence of Frank Kardos. But I'm not going to forfeit my right to have an opinion on the matter. This isn't a court of law. i don't have to abide by the rules of evidence, hearsay rules, disclosure rules and what have you. The court of public opinion operates in it's own manner. It's verdicts are often swift. Usually, they are correct. Not all the time, mind you. But usually.
John English was a dynamic Councilman. He brought such energy and enthusiasm to the Council. He was tough on crime. He wasn't a near jerk anti-developer ideologue. He was a thoughtful guy on a fast track to be mayor, in my opinion. His drug problem just imploded his dream. And his complete denial about it was sad.
I don't know if the same thing is at work here with Frank Kardos because I don't know exactly what happened between him and his ex girlfriend. That's for the legal system to sort out. But I do see the same defiance. The arrogance. It would be stunning for me to see him step aside. Like John English, I see him riding this to the bitter end.
I don't really have personal feelings invested in this. i don't know Kardos personally. I've praised his work on the Council. I think he's charged with a despicable crime but I don't know him personally. I've got no axe to grind. No vendetta.
But my family moved to Fairfield in 1976. We didn't have these scandals. My vice-principal in high school was also mayor of Fairfield at the time. No scandal. It was a different time. If you look at local politics in Fairfield, you see Mayor George Pettygrove who was obviously drinking and driving and the police helped him out. Pettygrove fell outside his house in a drunken stupor and had to be helicoptered to the hospital. The City Manager tried to kill the story. Then we had Mayor Chuck Hammond, who I really liked, being fined for shady political practices. We had John English's implosion over drugs. We had City Council candidate Paul Randhawa arrested on the eve of the 2005 election for allegedly cheating customers in his business and fraud. Now we've got the Frank Kardos situation. Fairfield deserves better than this.
And if Frank Kardos doesn't like what I have to say about him, then he should open his mouth and say something.
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