Dear Editor:
Honesty, integrity, and character are three things that we must expect from our community leaders (or anyone else). When you look at the so-called leadership in Detroit, it’s very clear that all three of these principles are lacking and it’s not surprising to see why Detroit is in the shape it’s in today.
We in Groveland Township are at a crossroads. We can ignore or blow off what David Ax just did in getting himself on the November ballot for treasurer, or we can make a stand and say: ‘Not in my community, not now, not ever.? (‘Wrong to run? Candidate’s actions questioned after violation,? The Citizen, page 1, Aug. 16).
The Citizen had it wrong, in the first sentence of the article when it stated that ‘A federal attorney has reportedly exonerated Township Trustee David Ax following charges he violated the Hatch Act as a candidate for township treasurer on Aug.5.? It should have read that David Ax is now in compliance with the Hatch Act after he clearly deceived the township leadership and its residents.
By Ax’s own timeline, he knew that he was not in compliance with the Hatch Act (a federal law that prohibits federal employees from seeking and/or holding partisan political offices, among other provisions). He stated that on July 17, 2008 (or 19 days before the election) that there was a concern that he was not in compliance with the federal law. A teleconference took place on July 23 to discuss this and he stated that he ‘did not research the Hatch Act at that point.?
Here’s a guy that’s running for treasurer and he doesn’t have the time or energy to see if he’s running a legal campaign. If he doesn’t have the due diligence to ensure that he’s doing something right for himself, what makes you think he really gives a damn about the residents of Groveland Township? The treasurer, at any given time, is in charge of $3 to $4 million of our tax dollars. Would you put your trust or money in someone who deceived you? I think not.
David Ax could have done the right thing on July 17 or July 23 or anytime before the election and told us that he was not in compliance with the law. This would have been the right thing to do. It would show us that he was honest, that he had integrity. It might or might not have cost him the election, but it would have been the right thing to do. But instead, he chose to tell Supervisor Bob DePalma after the polls closed that he ran an ‘illegal or less than honest campaign.? Ax still had the opportunity to do the right thing at the Groveland Township board meeting, when faced with this embarrassing situation, to withdraw himself from the candidacy. But to make matters worse, he chose to think about himself first and the community last, when he decided to continue running for treasurer and get himself in compliance by quitting his federal job. What he should have done is withdraw from the election. This self-centered act clearly shows me that he has no character.
Therefore, since he won’t do the right thing, it’s up to us to ensure that he doesn’t get elected in November. In order to do that, we need to get a write-in candidate that we can all support. I talked with Bob DePalma and we agreed that we should start with the other three candidates that ran in the August primary – Pam Que, Robert Renchik and Laura Lawrence, to see if one of them would be willing to be our write-in candidate. It’s going to be very difficult to get a write-in candidate elected, that’s why we need one and only one candidate that we can all get behind and support. With that in mind, we need our community leaders and people we can trust to pick a candidate for this very important position. Let me propose, that Bob DePalma and the township board set up a ‘town hall meeting? with these candidates to view each of their qualifications and pick a candidate that everyone, (including the other two candidates that won’t be picked) can support for this very important role. We then need to get the word out, and talk to our neighbors to tell them what’s just happened, and get them to support one of these candidates.
Democracy works only when its people put principles such as honesty, integrity, and character above all else.
In closing, David Ax, you still have time to do the right thing and withdraw.
Harry Branca, Jr.
Groveland Township