Seth Williams' Parting Words May Be His Biggest Contribution to Philly

Feb. 16, 2017

I'm a large fan of epic get out lines. Oscar Wilde, on his deathbed, is said to have looked at the wall and said: "This wallpaper volition be the death of me—i of us volition accept to get." Then there was the likely counterfeit Decease Row inmate, who, when asked for final words before his execution, said, "I guess this'll teach me a lesson." And, of course, who could forget the late Philly comedian David Brenner, who in one case told me that his begetter, just prior to expiring in his infirmary bed, set his eyes on the bed pan on the table side by side to him. "What a corking view," were his concluding words.

If y'all're going to get out, may every bit well drop the mic, right? Well, I have to cop to a sort of grudging adoration for our embattled District Attorney, who, in announcing concluding week that he wouldn't seek reelection, said something we besides seldom hear from those who are accused of public malfeasance. Information technology was i word, simply if information technology could catch on…well, information technology could change our moribund political culture. The discussion? Shame.

"So my decision to accept gifts and neglect to report them brought much embarrassment, shame and adverse publicity to me and, unfortunately, to the office for which I love," Seth Williams said, choking upwards, before the media last week. "For this I will always have deep regret in my centre. My poor judgment acquired distractions which fabricated the already difficult job of my administration and critical staff even more than challenging and raised doubts in the minds of some citizens regarding my character and my fitness to serve equally your District Chaser."

The headlines were anticipated, and much needed. Williams: I Brought Shame To The Office. You lot know the allegations by now: the non-disclosure of some $160,000 in gifts, including a $45,000 roof, Key West vacations courtesy of a defence lawyer who represents clients facing charges brought by Williams' office, and $half dozen,000 in gifts from a Common Pleas approximate who ascended to the bench because Williams had "vouched for him."

Williams continues to exist under FBI investigation. His fall was abrupt, with elements of tragedy; I commencement met him in 2008, and was struck by the "yes, we can" spirit of this young lawyer who had packed his then-wife and kids into the car and driven to Springfield, Illinois to come across Senator Barack Obama denote his longshot candidacy for president. Ane can simply surmise that inexperience and hubris have had much to practice with his rapid descent.

I have to cop to a sort of grudging admiration for Williams, who, in announcing that he wouldn't seek reelection, said something nosotros too seldom hear from those who are accused of public malfeasance. It was one word, simply if it could take hold of on…well, it could change our moribund political culture. The word? Shame.

Last Friday, there were hints of a sneering adversary behind Williams' apology, as when he complained, Nixon-like, about constant media questioning of his transgressions. But here's hoping he's sufficiently humbled. Acknowledging that he brought shame to the role is a practiced kickoff.

It'due south non something we've heard from others who accept gone the lawmaker-to-perp walker route, like Chaka Fattah, who had the gumption to allege that the Obama Justice Department was out to get him, or former State Rep. Leslie Acosta, who wins the chutzpah prize for running for office (and winning) knowing that she'd already secretly pled guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Or how about the recent amortization of Land Senator Larry Farnese, for using $6,000 in entrada money to pay the tuition for a written report abroad programme for the daughter of a committee person whose vote he sought in a ward election. The jury may indeed have gotten the case right on the merits of the constabulary…but Farnese's defense smacked of the type of shamelessness that has long characterized our purely transactional politics: That the $6,000 was nothing more than constituent service. "This was Sen. Farnese doing what he does best—helping others," said Farnese'south lawyer, Mark Sheppard.

Simply, hey, we enable this kind of shamelessness, considering we've romanticized our corrupt and contented civilization. It's part of our graphic symbol and many of us—mea culpa—have winked and nodded, trying to hide our smiles, when bad actors dance beyond our public stage. I idea it was awesome—so Philly!—when former Land Senator Buddy Cianfrani said about special prosecutor Walter Phillips in 1975, "If he can't go annihilation on me, what kind of an investigator is he?" You had to beloved ol' Buddy, who finally went away after being indicted on 110 counts of racketeering, mail fraud, obstruction of justice and tax fraud. And when he came out? He went right back to running South Philly. He was a shameless rogue. "I'thou going to steal every vote I tin," he one time said. "I'm going to buy every vote I can. That'due south the kind of guy I am." He mentored Vince Fumo, who once told me, with a hint of affection and admiration, "I learned from Buddy by being fucked by Buddy."

When then-Metropolis Councilman Jimmy Tayoun spent 40 months in prison in the early on '90s for many of the same offenses Cianfrani got nabbed for, (there's basically a playbook), what did he do? He wrote Going To Prison house, a guidebook for commencement fourth dimension offenders: "Bring a adept corporeality of cash if y'all can. You'll run across why as you read on," he writes.

Or, more recently, how about State Senator LeAnna Washington, who berated her chief of staff when he questioned her apply of staffers doing political work on the taxpayer dime: "I am the fucking Senator, I do what the fuck I want, and own't nobody going to change me," she said.

Such brazenness extends back to Republican Mayor Samuel Ashbridge, whose reign of ethical terror ran from 1899 to 1903. In his book The Shame Of The Cities, Lincoln Steffens quotes former Postmaster Thomas L. Hicks:

"At 1 of the early on interviews I had with the mayor in his office, he said to me: 'Tom, I have been elected mayor of Philadelphia. I have four years to serve. I have no further ambitions. I desire no other office when I am out of this one, and I shall get out of this office all there is in it for Samuel H. Ashbridge.' I remarked that this was a very foolish thing to say. 'Think how that could exist construed,' I said.

'I don't care anything about that,' he alleged. 'I hateful to get out of this part everything at that place is in it for me.'"

Steffens goes on to betoken out that, upon taking function, Ashbridge was $40,000 in debt…but:

When he retired from role, he became the president of a bank and was reputed to be rich. Hither is the summary published by the Municipal League at the close of his labors: 'The four years of the Ashbridge administration take passed into history, leaving behind them a scar on the fame and reputation of our urban center which will exist a long time healing. Never earlier, and let us hope never again, volition at that place exist such brazen defiance of public opinion, such flagrant disregard of public interest, such corruption of powers and responsibilities for private ends.'

The more things change, huh? No wonder Williams' argument struck me as so out of our tradition. Hither at The Citizen, we're ever looking for solutions, so in the by, I've married the litany of perp walks and ethical transgressions that dominate our headlines with innovations like kingdom of the netherlands Courtroom of Inspect, akin to our Congressional Budget Part, which tries to promote integrity in government rather than just punish decadent politicians. Or there's Transparency International, which publishes a Local Integrity Systems Assessment Toolkit that explains how they piece of work with local governments and civic partners to bolster integrity.

How do you modify a culture? Maybe it starts with a truly repentant District Chaser, rather than slinking off into private exercise, leading an effort to clean upward the political system he brought shame upon.

But the oddity of hearing a local politician admit he brought shame upon his role has me thinking that change will not come from an outside audit, a toolkit, or even new ethics laws. You can pass all the ethics edicts y'all want. No, we accept a cultural problem on our easily. And that'southward worth breaking downwardly. Because ours is a unique brand of political abuse. Other places—Chicago comes to mind—mostly feature good, old-fashioned graft. Greenbacks in envelopes, public officials on the take.

Hither, in that location's systemic abuse. Hither, we have a local government addicted to the deal, motivated past a animalism not for more than greenbacks just for more power, frequently in direct contradiction of the common good. We'll encounter what the investigation reveals, but it seems that Williams' missteps were more the former than the latter.

Our type of corruption is harder to gainsay, considering it is and so deeply cultural and, as the Farnese trial shows, sometimes information technology may non even exist technically illegal. Merely it's corrosive all the same. And so how practice you change a culture? Maybe it starts with a truly repentant Commune Attorney, rather than slinking off into private practice, leading an try to clean up the political system he brought shame upon.

Header photo courtesy of Philadelphia City Council via Flickr

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/seth-williams-shame/

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