Tag: Irene Kepler

That said, when one aspires to public service one necessarily sets oneself on a pedestal and voluntarily offers to live by a higher standard.  That's why the slightest personal foibles in elected officials draw such intense scrutiny.  And, frankly, they should.  

If you're going to make heavy taxpayer funded bank and have run for and won a position where you don't only influence laws, ordinances and public policy but you help write them, darn it all, you'd better live by them.

Late last year Representative Kevin Green was arrested for DUI.  The man was stripped of two committee assignments by Democratic Speaker Andy Dillon and was marginalized in what had to that point been a spirited pursuit of his own caucus's top leadership position.  He became the poster boy for irresponsible public servants in Michigan and the consequences that can and should befall them.  

Andy Dillon was right in how he handled the Green situation.  Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if he'd gone a little further.  We'll see now, though, how Democrats in the legislature and in Macomb County handle one of their own in an even more serious situation.

The Macomb Daily reports that Macomb County Commissioner Irene Kepler (D-Roseville) was yanked from her car by police early this morning after stopping on the side of the road to make an intoxicated cell phone call.

According to the Ivory Tower she had earlier been the offending party in a hit and run collision.

In addition to her $34,000 a year salary courtesy of Macomb County residents, Kepler is employed as a staffer in Democratic Representative Harold Haugh's legislative office.  She is also a former intern with Democratic Senator Mickey Switalski and was named the Democrat's State of Michigan Legislative Intern of the Year.

Consistency would seem to demand Representative Haugh and House leadership take immediate action to send an entirely unambiguous signal that their staff is also held to the highest standards.  They represent their bosses in the district and at the HOB.  

Haugh would certainly be mortified if his staffer attended a public meeting while intoxicated.  Zero doubt what would happen to any legislative employee who showed up to work drunk.  How much more serious that his staff are pounding vodka, getting behind the wheel of a car, committing hit and run offenses and then getting booked on DUI?  

No one's probably going to die if Kepler shows up to the Rep's next Coffee Hour with booze on her breath but drunk driving claims thousands of lives every year.  

We'll see how the Democrats handle her situation in the House.  Suppose we'll also have to wait and see how things go at the Macomb County Commission.  No one there to punish the woman or to say enough is enough.  She's on her own.  

Will also be interesting to see the reaction from the regressisphere.  Last fall with the Green arrest, Michigan Liberal led the righteous outrage brigade, with my Off the Record sparring partner and very good friend </snark> Liberal Lucy carrying the "shame on you" banner herself.  

She wrote:

...When there's a repeated violation of that trust, by not just one, or two, but three different lawmakers, it makes it difficult for us, the tax-paying public to continue to uphold that trust and belief.

The public cannot be expected to maintain that trust and have faith that our government is truly working for us when a group of elected officials not only breaks the laws, but seemingly goes out of their way to flaunt their ability to do so.

Ball's in the Democrat's court.  Lets hope they do the right thing, that Miss Kepler gets the help she needs and then be thankful that no one was seriously injured as a result of her actions this morning.