Editorial: 'Best and brightest?' Nope

Posted 5/5/16

Within hours of what many pundits around the world deemed to be the culmination of the greatest upset in the history of sport with Leicester City Football Club claiming the Premier League …

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Editorial: 'Best and brightest?' Nope

Posted

Within hours of what many pundits around the world deemed to be the culmination of the greatest upset in the history of sport with Leicester City Football Club claiming the Premier League championship, one of the most predictable things on earth happened: a Rhode Island politician was forced to resign from office in shame.

The Foxes entered the season as the longest of long shots to win the Premiership, 5,000-1 by London bookmakers. There weren't any known odds on the fate of Rep. Raymond Gallison being the first lawmaker in the General Assembly to give up his seat amid controversy this session, but with only 113 combined members his chances were probably as good as any of the others to do so.

That a politician in Rhode Island has departed the scene with his or her head hung low isn't a surprise, but it should continue to be upsetting and unsettling for the voters.

It seems regardless of who is in charge, those in power never appear contented enough with just doing the job they were elected to or appointed to perform. Many, unfortunately, want more and more often than not it's about lining their own pockets or satisfying their own desires rather than solely executing their duties for the common good.

The State House isn't the only place where this occurs, of course. We see it right here in East Providence as well, at City Hall and in other less obvious places. For years, cronyism and nepotism have been the rule, not the exception. Plenty of city officials have tip-toed the proverbial "fine line." The only difference between us here and them there so far is that nothing has proven to be illegal or reached the point of forcing someone out in utter disgrace, not yet at least.

Many on both the inside and outside of politics wonder why the "best and brightest" among us don't take up the call of public service. It's more likely than not because they are actually too smart to get caught up in the morass of back-slapping and glad-handing that is political life. So we're often left with the "dullest and dimmest" of ourselves to serve us.

And when some of them almost assuredly fall on their faces, leave us with a sense of disgust, it's really no upset at all.

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.