Editorial: No time for weakness

Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004 | 12:14 p.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

November 13 - 14, 2004

This past week the Assembly voted unanimously to impeach state Controller Kathy Augustine, who already has admitted to willfully violating state ethics laws. A number of Augustine's past and present employees offered damaging testimony to the Assembly that she forced them to work on her campaign at the same time they were on the clock in their state jobs. The Assembly's impeachment of Augustine means that she is suspended from her job -- Gov. Kenny Guinn has named the chief deputy controller as a temporary replacement -- until the Senate resolves her fate sometime after Thanksgiving. A conviction, which would require at least a two-thirds vote during the Senate trial, could result in her removal from office.

It's hard to imagine the Senate acquitting Augustine based on the evidence amassed against her. But last week some senators suggested that they might consider a lesser punishment -- such as censure or a fine -- that would allow her to return to office. They said that being a heavy-handed employer isn't in itself enough to remove her from office. This is much more than Augustine being a tyrannical boss, however. Augustine herself, in a settlement agreement with the state Ethics Commission, admitted she broke the law. Such a violation clearly warrants removal from office, so it's bewildering to us that some senators are speculating that they might allow her to fill out the remaining two years of her term.

Although Augustine once was a member of the Legislature, having served in both the Assembly and the Senate, she didn't make many friends. And, in some gamesmanship aimed at trying to get the Legislature to back off, Augustine's attorneys have suggested that she isn't alone, that other politicians have had government employees work on their campaigns as well.

The Assembly has done its job. It's now up to the Senate, without flinching, to carry out its responsibilities. If Augustine were to get a slap on the wrist, even after it was proved she had violated the law, it would be an insult and demonstrate a contempt for our state ethics laws.