It’s too bad it has come to this. But it has, and the best thing
to do right now is for Gilroy City Councilman Craig Gartman to
write a check for $543 to the new Memorial Day Parade Committee and
move on.
It’s too bad it has come to this. But it has, and the best thing to do right now is for Gilroy City Councilman Craig Gartman to write a check for $543 to the new Memorial Day Parade Committee and move on.
Councilman Gartman is understandably angry that after seven years of volunteer efforts and fundraising to put on the Memorial Day Parade, a new group comprised largely of his political enemies who are aligned with Mayor Al Pinheiro, are publicly questioning his handling of parade finances. For Gartman and Councilman Bob Dillon, who together ran the parade for years, this fits squarely into the “No good deed goes unpunished” box and is clearly politically motivated.
So, the best thing to quell the rumors and innuendo is to drench those asking the questions in facts and, in so doing, answer their nasty implied accusations. Providing the check and deposit records from the bank and writing a $543 check for the amount left over to the new parade committee would make the whole accounting public and the issue – though not the hard feelings – would go away.
It’s difficult to understand Gartman’s reluctance to provide that information. Nobody should expect a 100 percent accurate balance sheet, but everyone should expect an accounting that’s in the ballpark, one that would allow for the purchase of bottled water or cash output for gasoline and meals, etc.
Though Gartman ran the parade as a volunteer, he should have kept financial records that reflected an understanding of his position as an elected official. That he did not is a significant lapse in judgment which, in turn, accounts for the predicament he is in.
Mysteriously, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is reportedly involved. If that’s so, why doesn’t DA Dolores Carr’s office simply subpoena the bank records, talk to Gartman and Dillon, issue a statement and get this inquiry over and done with.
If it’s a political witchhunt, then those on the new committee who have launched and pushed this seemingly baseless inquiry, should publicly apologize. Doing damage to those who volunteer, especially those who volunteer to take leadership positions with positive impacts on Gilroy, deals a serious blow to community spirit.
The situation as it stands now is all wrong: a councilman who volunteered for numerous years to put on a wonderful community event is being painted with the presumption of guilt by his political rivals. If there’s more to it than that, let’s hear it. Otherwise, let’s move on.
Honestly, there are plenty of very important city issues to deal with.
