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Leaky issue sinks Chardon pair
(by Dave Lange - November 18, 2009)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Leaky issue sinks Chardon pair
Political fortunes are subject to change, which certainly was evident to Chardon City Council members Mary M. Bramstedt and Jefferey J. Campbell Jr. on the recent Election Day.
Four years ago, Mr. Campbell collected 965 votes, 127 more than the second-place finisher in the seven-candidate race for four council seats. Clearly, he was the most popular candidate on the Chardon ballot in winning his second four-year term. Mrs. Bramstedt received 791 votes to finish third and comfortably retain her seat for a second term that fall.
Things did not go so well this year for the pair, who have tangled with the council majority on a number of issues, most notably over so-called ethical standards associated with government secrecy. Mrs. Bramstedt received 550 votes on Nov. 3 to finish dead last among the seven candidates running for four seats. Mr. Campbell's popularity took a tumble to just 696 votes as he finished fifth and also was ousted from his seat on City Council.
As one who believes in government of the people but understands that certain functions of government require some confidentiality, I'd like to look at these election results as a reflection on the intelligence of Chardon voters.
The City Council majority has been wagging fingers about the leakage of "privileged information" at least since the summer of 2002, with much of the innuendo directed at Mr. Campbell. Evidently, the muckety-muck didn't stick with the voters, who issued a mandate for his re-election in 2005. When members of the majority and their allies sought to connect Councilwoman Deborah M. Reiter and Mr. Campbell with frivolous accusations of political partisanship in 2007, that didn't stick either. The voters rewarded Mrs. Reiter with a first-place finish in that November's election.
But there actually was something to the latest allegations about leaks of confidential information, and the 4-3 Chardon City Council majority spent $25,000 of the taxpayers' money to produce an "independent" investigation to prove it. While there never was any doubt that the International Research Group, of Cleveland, would produce an investigation to justify that expense, there also is no reason to doubt that a leak actually occurred and that this particular leak, unlike previous ones, raised actual ethical issues.
The investigators recounted the bizarre story of a young woman who believed she had been jilted by her boyfriend, a City of Chardon employee, who was meeting clandestinely with a woman named "Mary," who turned out to be "part of City Council." There is only one woman named Mary on City Council. According to the story, during these meetings, "Mary" provided cash and information about the city's bargaining position in upcoming labor negotiations. Not only did the investigators find that story to be credible, but the meetings between the employee, who subsequently resigned, and Mary Bramstedt were corroborated by witnesses.
Although it still is not entirely clear what damage the leaks did to the city's bargaining position, there is no doubt that private government discussions regarding union negotiations are legally justified. Betraying that confidentiality and potentially hitting the taxpayers' pocketbooks would be a serious breach of ethics.
Things did not look good for Mrs. Bramstedt -- or for those who voted with her on City Council. The voters have spoken, and they did not stutter.
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