The long-expected civil suit against Steve Spear made its way to a court docket recently, only shortly after the Common Council rejected Spear’s appointment to the office from which he had weeks-earlier resigned in disgrace. Whitewater dodged a bullet when it took the only rational step available: ignoring Spear’s application.
Perhaps Spear plans to run again next April, rejection to appointment notwithstanding. The litmus test of civility and decency for private citizens is whether you find Spear’s conduct and public ambitions repulsive. If you do, then you’re civilized. The litmus test for public officials is whether, if he runs again, you’ll take a public position on his candidacy. If you do, then you’re at least minimally worthy of the position that you occupy. If you won’t, then you’ve failed our city for the sake of a small clique that imagines itself in possession of the whole city.
There’s an empty line of reasoning that says public officials were limited in what they could have said about Spear earlier. It’s nonsense, and amounts to nothing more a claim to sophistication or managerial insight in the service of self-preservation and timidity. It’s a conceit to contend that hesitation and reticence are actually advanced managerial skills, or refined politeness. More often, they’re just self-interested conflict-avoidance. There are few public officials who won’t rush to trumpet an achievement. If you’re not press shy for the good times, why be press-shy for the challenging ones? Pretending that your silence and hesitation are, in fact, really examples of sophisticated managerial insight or understanding is unpersuasive.
Eight months is a long time, in litigation, and in life. I have no idea if Spear will truly run again. FREE WHITEWATER will be ready, though, to cover an upcoming political campaign, should there be one.