Does this Town Need an Enema?

COLUMN NOTES: The situation with Jeffersonville's Clerk-Treasurer Peggy Wilder has been going on for some time now. I wrote a previous column about it. After I did, two other local columnists wrote about it here and here. Ms. Wilder was silent for a long time, but then decided to do an interview with the paper which garnered front page attention. Shortly after that was published, she was arrested for OWI.

HARBESON: The Wilder way

By DEBBIE HARBESON

— I’ve changed my mind about Peggy Wilder. It was a good thing she did not resign and no, it’s not just because it’s been extra easy to find a topic to write about lately.

OK, look. I know you’re sick. I know you’re tired. But can’t you just lie down and put your hand over your mouth to stop the heaving for just a bit longer while someone at this paper writes one more time about this issue?

I need to write another column because I believe Ms. Wilder deserves a lot of credit for what she’s accomplished, even while barely stepping into her government office. She’s done a fantastic job of demonstrating, to me at least, all that is wrong with government and how it operates.

Let me explain.

If Peggy Wilder had resigned, I would not have been able to see how well our local politicians can stick together. If the 3M Corp. could figure out a way to package that, they could stop all further R&D into adhesives.

If Peggy Wilder had resigned, I would not have had the surreal experience of watching politicians remain eerily silent for an unusual amount of time. Oh, if only we could package that.

If Peggy had resigned, I might not have understood how hard it is to actually get rid of an elected government official. I might never have learned just how many rules, regulations and laws government officials write which make the process as difficult as possible.

If Ms. Wilder had resigned, I would not have observed the local state government representative, Steve Stemler, also remain oddly silent — that is, until the issue reached just the right level of ripeness. When it did, he inserted a press release filled with platitudes as smoothly as an Italian might insert a pimento into an olive.

If Ms. Wilder had resigned, I would not have noticed that in the state level, too, it’s never as simple as publicly speaking the truth to help persuade someone to do the right thing. No, the situation is merely used to assure citizens that it’s only a matter of the right government employee inserting the right government language to tweak proper government procedures to answer any question of government failure. Politicians are so helpful.

If Peggy had resigned, I would not have learned what is of primary importance to Stemler, which is maintaining the “public’s trust in its elected officials.” I would not have had the chance to think about how this constant effort to maintain legitimacy is vital to making sure the public continues to buy into this game instead of looking for alternatives.

If Peggy had resigned, I would not be able to watch as a group of disgusted and frustrated citizens organize an effort to clean out various local governments — and I mean really clean them out. So much so that for days now I’ve had Jack Nicholson’s version of The Joker in my head as he says, “this town needs an enema.”

If Peggy had resigned, I would not have thought about how easy it is to individually withdraw support, financial and otherwise, when something occurs as part of daily voluntary associations and how free we are to act, based on our own individual standards of acceptable behavior.

Finally, and most importantly, if Peggy had resigned, I might have focused much more on her personal struggles and been better able to compassionately extend my heartfelt support and best wishes that she finds a way out of her troubles. Instead, I see a front page interview from a politician making excuses, and unfortunately Ms. Wilder deserves all the credit for that.

— Sellersburg resident Debbie Harbeson hereby formally resigns from ever writing another column about the Peggy Wilder situation.

What's Wrong With Jeffersonville Indiana Government Officials?

HARBESON: Why the silence on Wilder?

By DEBBIE HARBESON Local Columnist

> SOUTHERN INDIANA — What’s wrong with Jeffersonville government officials? Oh, wait, I guess that’s a mind-boggling question with loads of answers, so let me pare it down a bit.

Why is no one in Jeffersonville government calling for Clerk-Treasurer Peggy Wilder’s immediate resignation? Are they afraid of taking a clear stand for some reason? Are they all just waiting for someone else to go first? Are they just protecting their own?

Of course it’s positively shameful that Ms. Wilder, who has finally been charged in relation to allegedly using city credit cards for personal transactions, has not already resigned. But from all we’ve seen from her since this first came out, that’s no real surprise.

Which means someone else in Jeffersonville’s government needs to step up. Why isn’t that happening?

Maybe it’s because she’s charged with conversion, which is exerting unauthorized use or control of someone else’s property. That definition does sound darn close to describing what they all do as government employees, so it could be kind of embarrassing to call for her resignation, I suppose.

Or maybe it has something to do with all the strange connections inside local government. For example, when the details of this case were sent to Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart, some wondered how he would proceed since Ms. Wilder is the ex-wife of Larry Wilder, who works as a litigator for the city and gave $1,000 to Stewart’s 2005 campaign while they were married.

Stewart took about six months to think this over — while the statute of limitations kept ticking — and finally figured out he should hand the case to someone more neutral, less connected. You know, like a prosecutor in a neighboring county who worked for Stewart a few years ago.

Mayor Tom Galligan and the city council say they have no authority to do anything about her position since she’s an elected official. What a convenient excuse to avoid taking a stand.

They pretend that they’re helpless because they can’t take any “authorized” action and voters will just have to wait until her term ends at the end of 2011. But this is one instance where they could actually use their positions to help their constituents without using the government gun. I guess that’s hard for them to comprehend, though, since they never work that way otherwise. Could that be why we are not seeing them speak out?

They have no problem speaking out and taking a stand about how tall your grass is, or how many used car businesses can be on 10th street, or whether you can allow smoking in your privately owned businesses, or store a gun in your car while at work, or whether other city employees get drug tested, etc. But when the city’s financial department head is shown to be inept and unethical in handling finances, well that’s just personal and they’re staying out of it.

We all know they could put on the heat and get her out of there if they really wanted to do so.

Now, to be fair, city residents could also be speaking out. They could write to the newspaper, mail flyers and stage protests near her office to call for her resignation. That takes time they don’t have, though, because they are working to pay for fancy canal projects and shiny new sidewalk benches.

Besides, shouldn’t citizens expect that those who claim they only want to “serve the people” actually do some serving and speak up when it really matters?

I guess someone has to get this going so let me say very clearly: Peggy Wilder should resign. Now, come on mayor and council, stop spending money for a minute and speak out on this.


Sellersburg resident Debbie Harbeson is trying to stop asking mind-boggling questions about government officials but they just seem to keep coming.