Send right message, oust Catala

If, as it appears, Jason Catala won’t do the right thing, it will be the responsibility of New London voters to step up. It has been about a week since news broke of the arrest of the seven-term Board of Education member. He is charged with second-degree identity theft, a felony, and illegal use of a credit card, a misdemeanor. But the facts, as outlined in the arrest warrant affidavit prepared by Waterford police, are more troubling than the charges sound. Reading the affidavit, it’s apparent police could have charged multiple counts.

According to the arrest warrant, Catala opened 16 credit card accounts using his niece’s name and personal information, but his address. At the time police filed for the arrest warrant, there was $8,000 in total debt on the cards.

In an editorial last week, the Day Editorial Board called for Catala to resign from the school board and end his candidacy. The Democratic Town Committee also asked the candidate to withdraw from the race and pulled all financial and other support for him.

But at week’s end, Catala, 45, was insisting on soldiering on with his election. If New London voters reward Catala by returning him to the Board of Education, what message would that send to students, to parents in other towns thinking of sending their children to the city’s magnet schools and, most concerningly, to the victim who did the right thing? It would send a terrible message. Catala wants to cast himself as the victim, attacked by critics when he is down, his years of service to the city as a board member ignored.

But let us consider what happened here. Catala admitted to police that he applied for the credit cards using the victim’s financial information that he obtained while helping her do her taxes when she was in high school.

This young woman was violated. Not physically, but violated nonetheless when an adult she trusted used her. And don’t we want young women to speak out when they have been violated? To not let men with power over them dictate their silence, to convince them all will be better off if things are swept under the rug, handled internally? That’s the conversation we have been having in this country.

According to the affidavit, Catala asked the victim to lie to police, to tell them he had her permission to open the accounts. Her father also told her to go with the story that Catala had permission, according to the affidavit. Police have the text messages.

But this young woman did the right thing. She held Jason Catala responsible for his actions. Like her, voters need to do the right thing and withhold their votes, regardless of party affiliation or how they may feel about Catala’s performance as a school board member.

The New London school system is still dealing with the aftermath of school personnel who took advantage of female students, leading to two arrests for alleged sexual assault and a third arrest for failing to report information about the misconduct. Yes, sexual assault is a more abhorrent crime. But stealing someone’s identity, potentially destroying a young woman’s credit, is a serious matter. There could not be a worse time to return to the school board someone who exploited a young woman.

Perhaps Catala will yet recognize he should end his campaign and instead focus on his legal troubles, on the rift his behavior has opened in his family, and on addressing whatever issues caused him to do such a thing. Having addressed these matters, maybe someday he could run again.

But please, voters, don’t return him to office. Paul Choiniere is the editorial page editor.