WRTV-6 reports that former GOP city-county councillor Lincoln Plowman and IMPD major has been indicted. When high-ranking members of IMPD and the Marion County GOP are being charged criminally, it is not hard to figure out why there is little faith in the department. I feel bad for the hard-working and honest officers who are going to get the inevitable blowback from failed leadership.
3 comments:
Personally, I think judgement should be withheld until it is better known whether Plowman was actually trying to accept some kind of bribe or whether he was just trying to get compensated for a lot of time and effort to help move something through a process or provide some other consultation.
Obviously, any kind of money changing hands could be risk inappropriate influence and deserves to be looked at skeptically; but, if somebody is going to invest a lot of time doing something for a for-profit enterprise, I don't begrudge them (**IF** this is all it ultimately is proven to have been) trying to get paid for their time.
BUT, then there is the issue of deciding whether someone wants to be a legislator or a consultant and whether or not they should have to pick. I think most of us would agree that picking makes sense to avoid any hint of impropriety.
Sean: I respect that you wish to not be part of the jury of public opinion, as we are all entitled to our day in court.
Having said that, the facts here are not in dispute, just the implication one draws from them.
You have a guy with his hand on the levers of power asking to walk somebody through a process HE CONTROLS in part. How ISN'T this like a Court of Appeals Judge going, "Hey, appeals are tricky, time-consuming things. Pay me $5,000, and I'd advise you on how to put together a brief and get your issues raised the right way with the right people?!?"
Sorry, but Mr. Plowman has no established business as a consultant, and he has never held himself out as a consultant until this incident, nor could he ethically do so. This was straight-up bribery with a better cover story than most people concoct, and what's ironic is that he's actually going to use the very expertise which would make someone approach him for bribery as his defense that he wasn't bribed (i.e., I am entitled to $5,000 because I know how to navigate this process by virtue of working in it).
In short, Humpty Dumpty-style defense coming at us all.
What Ploughman did was clearly against the city's guidelines on ethics. It was a serious abuse of power and had most likely been going on for some time prior to his arrest. This kind of corruption truly sets us back. It weakens government, the economy, and has damaged the city.
I am pleased that he has at long last finally been indicted. I hope the sentence is very severe.
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