As someone who was interviewed, quoted and cited here, let me add a bit to this
discussion.
Most of us have known Al Oertwig for many years and consider him a friend. I
certainly do, but I've not known too many people who, if they were honest,
really know him all that well. If that's the way he prefers it, fine. We'd best
be careful of how we view our good friend who is also a political animal.
I would also be very careful about what constitutes legitimate inquiry into the
behavior of elected officials with regard to their use of public facilities
generally considered under their trust. Whether this was an important story to
publish at this time or not may be debatable, perhaps, but Al's frequency of
occupation of the district office in wee hours is certainly a curiosity and, as
such, definitely newsworthy. Jim Walsh might have gotten a better handle on
just what he is actually doing up there before going to press. But that news
plus information about his owning two houses, homesteading both of them when
only one would qualify, assuming he's its occupant, but rarely spending any
time in either of them and the environmental conditions therein certainly begs
some questions, both legal and ethical.
Al Oertwig is as hard a worker in a thankless job as anyone I've ever known and
he's had some very unfair things thrown at him. His willingness to challenge
the administration when other board members cave to superintendents'
intimidating demands, especially those that insist that all criticism leveled
at the administration be kept behind closed doors and not heard at board
meetings is something I've always admired in Al, and, conversely disenchanted
me in others with the potential for remembering just who the hell they're
supposed to represent.
Al has not endeared himself to his colleagues, especially outspoken members
with whom he's long been at loggerheads over policy and power. They know who
they are. Anyone who believes the DFL contingent there is one big happy family
hasn't been listening.
That all means that any number of people could have dropped a dime on his night
owl behavior, and it should be known here and now that I knew nothing about his
nocturnal occupation of the district office and still know nothing of precise
activities up there during those hours. But many friends and people who have
known and respected elected officials have often been embarrassed by
disclosures later on that secretive doings and transactions have been adjudged
illegal or unethical or both, sometime to a dangerous degree.
That is why, for all of our friendships among policymakers and political
activists, we must be prepared to scrutinze their official behavior, even in
peril of long friendships going sour, when that official behavior is so
untoward that it invites deserved criticism, even legal and ethical inquiry
and some tough political decisions when election time rolls around again.
Too many entrenched politicos expect personal loyalty to overcome good
political judgment when their behavior and voting record no longer deserve
either. And too many party members both defend and re-endorse incumbents even
when they know the truth about them. This is why it has been so painful for me
to take people like Sandy Pappas and Ellen Anderson to task for their
pro-stadium votes or Sandy for her support of Pawlenty's casino plans. But to
do otherwise is irresponsible polymaking and citizenship and these are among
the risks we must be willing to take if we hold our personal integrity dear to
us. Anything else is rank hypocrisy, something in which too many are all too
willing to engage these days with impunity and few consequences.
Al and all elected officials need to take stock of their duties and their
constituencies and decide that responsibility and personal integrity are the
bellwethers of good policymaking and exemplary public behavior or get out of
office and find a gig where those attributes are less important to the public
interest and welfare.
The imperial self can be as dangerous a special interest as a chamber of
commerce or labor union or tobacco company. Too often, the longer the self is
reinforced by reelection, the more the self becomes arrogant in the exercise of
duty. Integrity cannot be retained if one sells out to self or special
interests. And without integrity, one has no business in the public affairs
arena.
Andy Driscoll
Crocus Hill