Grief deserves compassion, doesn’t excuse judgment

It’s time for transparency and accountability. Grief certainly does deserve compassion, but LaToya Nkongolo’s alleged actions on the evening on Jan. 28 were reckless and endangered not only her life, but the lives of others.

The sentiments proffered by Christopher Anderson in his column “Supporting LaToya Nkongolo during a difficult time” that appeared in The Capital on Feb. 18 raise more questions about Nkongolo’s judgment and solidify my support for her opponent, incumbent Board of Education member, Dana Schallheim.

My read of Anderson’s words is that we should excuse the poor judgment of substance abuse counselor Nkongolo.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that Nkongolo was observed by Anne Arundel County Police Officer Sean Billies on Jan. weaving into the median on Ritchie Highway before turning onto Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard and crossing the double yellow line as oncoming traffic approached with no headlights on (source: police report filed Jan. 28 and previously submitted to The Capital).

We cannot ignore that Nkolongo denied to police she was drinking that night and denied having alcohol in her car, when in fact there were several opened and unopened bottles found in her vehicle, according to the report. We cannot ignore that she repeatedly refused to submit to tests to confirm her intoxication.

I have compassion and empathy for anyone who makes a mistake, including Nkolongo. I truly hope she gets support from loved ones and that she obtains help. But compassion doesn’t mean she should not be held accountable, particularly when her mistake caused danger to the public and when she is running for public office.

I am deeply concerned that to date, I have not seen Nkongolo make any public statement addressing her mistake, taking responsibility and making amends.

None of Nkongolo’s actions warrant a vote for her in any election, much less for the Board of Education, where she would be representing 85,000 students and responsible for a $1.7 billion budget.

I encourage Nkongolo to seek help for her problem with alcohol and grief, and withdraw her candidacy for the District 5 seat on the Board of Education.