Elected officials should be fully
committed to their privileged duties
It wasn't the first time, and it
definitely won't be the last time. And that's where the problem lies.
Village of Ossining Mayor Eugene Napolitano essentially turned his
back on the more than 3,000 residents who put their trust in him in
November 2004 by walking away last week, only 17 months into his two-year
term.
The way in which Napolitano, 57, made his stunning announcement, an
hour into a Village Board meeting, and the cryptic reasons he cited,
mainly to spend more time with his longtime wife, were unusual, to
say the least.
Coupled with the fact Napolitano vehemently denied rumors only six
months ago that he was going to step down and earlier this year faced
a neighborhood of criticism for selling his home for use as a group
home, there is something just not believable about Napolitano simply
deciding "it was time to get back to my family and my wife"
and planning to take a midnight train to Georgia.
But Napolitano's premature departure is not all that uncommon in local
politics, and something should be done about it to uphold the integrity
and often unappreciated freedom citizens enjoy in this country of
being able to choose their government leaders.
There needs to be a law passed that penalizes someone for leaving
an elected office before the term is expired for any reason other
than a medical or family emergency, such as the situation state Assemblyman
Richard Brodsky is facing in donating one of his kidneys to his ailing
daughter (although Brodsky is not expected to relinquish his seat.).
There also should be a stipulation that if an elected official decides
during a term of office to seek another elected position, he or she
must resign from their post since their full attention can't be paid
to their current duties.
Such a stipulation would currently apply to Yorktown Councilman James
Martorano, who is in the middle of a four-year term but is actively
seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Congresswoman Sue Kelly,
and Westchester County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz, who, six months
after being reelected, announced yesterday (Tuesday) he is looking
to unseat longtime state Senator Vincent Leibell in November.
Last year, Peekskill Councilman Don Bennett would have fallen in the
same category when he ran for mayor.
Why should individuals aiming to move up the political ladder have
safety nets at the expense of constituents who put them into office
in the first place?
It should be a win or lose, roll the dice crapshoot for those politicians
because it's impossible for anyone to devote their full attention
to their current responsibilities if they're constantly on the campaign
trail with one foot out the door and their eyes on another prize.
In Napolitano's case, he didn't leave town to seek higher office,
but he did leave residents high and dry-- residents who had two other
choices in the mayoral race in 2004.
If they had known Napolitano wasn't committed to completing his term
or didn't have the stomach to handle the pressures of being in charge
of a local government, it's likely they would have looked to someone
else who truly valued the trustworthiness of their precious vote.
There's nothing trivial about being an elected official, and those
who take the oaths should treasure the opportunity given to them,
not use the office as an opportunity for their own personal gain,
or as something they can just walk away from when the going gets tough,
or the time seems right to go fishing and play golf.
