Some clarification on ‘corrupt’ charge

Recently, I‘ve heard County Council Chairman John McBlain and other leaders of the Delaware County Republican Party state in rooms full of county employees that the “Democrats are calling all of you corrupt,” in a blatant attempt to stoke fear and anger.

As someone who has spent much of the last two years on County Council pointing out the many cases of patronage and nobid county contracts that have wasted millions in taxpayer dollars over the years, I felt it important to clear things up.

• For those who have felt the need to register as a Republican or speak with their parent or cousin in order to get a county job;

• For those who, despite working hard and doing their job well for the county, have felt the implicit pressure to contribute to the county Republican Party or spend their limited free time working for the party;

• For those who have felt the need to abide by the unwritten rules of Delaware County in order to simply make a living;

• And certainly for every person who identifies ideologically with the Republican Party and supports the party because they simply choose to:

Let me be clear. Despite what Mr. McBlain says, I’m not calling you corrupt, and I never have.

The blame lies with those who have used their position of leadership to perpetuate this system that has taxed the many to the benefit of the few.

It lies with those who have written the rules, or had the opportunity to change the rules but have refused to, not those who have simply followed them.

It lies with those who have made our taxes so expensive because of the casual corruption that awards contracts to friends of the party in lieu of healthy and even-footed competition.

It lies with those who have been too busy handing out patronage to stop Delaware County from falling behind our neighboring counties economically.

We will be direct in our attacks on a corrupt system, and we will ensure the voters of Delaware County are aware of a system they have the opportunity to change this November.

But the target of our attacks isn’t the people of Delaware County – my own friends, family and neighbors – who have been beholden to a corrupt system; it’s the elected leadership who has perpetuated this system and cost our county for generations.