Columnist Jeff German: Voters will demand integrity

Friday, Aug. 6, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

Ward 1 voters in the city have little reason to be optimistic today about the political future of their freshman city councilwoman, Janet Moncrief.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen spent much of Thursday presenting evidence to a grand jury investigating reported irregularities in Moncrief's 2003 campaign. A criminal indictment was expected to be unveiled this morning.

Moncrief, I'm told, allegedly failed to report some $100,000 in contributions. Investigators have theorized her campaign was given a secret financial boost from former casino man Bob Stupak.

The indictment will provide us with more evidence of the corrupt political climate in this state.

The good news is that we seem to be in one of those periods when law enforcement authorities have made a priority out of going after crooked and ethically challenged elected officials.

Some officials are paying a price for admitted or alleged betrayals of the public trust:

Now comes Moncrief's troubles. And don't think she's going to be the last politician to go astray.

Others will follow as long as we have campaign reporting laws with giant loopholes, ethics rules with little or no teeth and a part-time system of government that encourages elected officials to pursue private financial interests while they serve the public.

But even in this flawed political system there is a formidable line of defense -- the voters.

Longtime political consultant Kent Oram says he's seeing signs that the voters are in a mood to demand integrity of their elected leaders.

In a telephone poll of 800 registered county voters Oram completed just last week, integrity turned out to be the No. 1 criterion, by far, that voters want in a politician.

"People are raising their standards," Oram says. "They're saying, 'I don't care what you promise me, you better have integrity or I'm not going to give you my vote.' "

The first test of this new attitude will come next month, when Kincaid-Chauncey faces a stiff Democratic primary challenge in her bid for re-election under the weight of her criminal indictment.

Though she's accused of taking money under the table from a sleazy strip club operator, Kincaid-Chauncey has had the gall to air television commercials stressing, of all things, her "integrity."

Personally, I think Kincaid-Chauncey is in la-la land.

But a more critical observer might suggest she's an example of the kind of arrogant politician we get in a system that breeds corruption.

Today we can can add Janet Moncrief to the list.