There’s a presumption of trust locally when one is
”
donating to a good cause
”
– whether that’s at a local charity auction, a fund-raising golf
tournament or buying a raffle ticket to support St. Joseph’s Family
Center.
There’s a presumption of trust locally when one is “donating to a good cause” – whether that’s at a local charity auction, a fund-raising golf tournament or buying a raffle ticket to support St. Joseph’s Family Center. That trust extends to when the community elects its local officials.
That presumption has been put to the test with the latest news that includes:
– Felony grand theft charges against former Gilroy Councilman Craig Gartman who is charged with stealing more than $9,000 from the Gilroy Memorial Day Parade funds. He appeared in court and pleaded not guilty.
– An alleged $52,269 embezzlement by Gilroy Unified School District trustee Francisco Dominguez while he administered a federal Drug Free Communities grant for the South County Collaborative. The Collaborative, despite being presented with weighty evidence, chose to anoint themselves judge and jury and, in an attempt to keep the “dirty laundry” from public view, reached a civil agreement with Mr. Dominguez. Thus, no complaint was filed with the District Attorney’s office, the justification being that recovering the money was the board’s foremost responsibility.
In the case against Mr. Gartman, the DA’s office uncovered two checks written by local developer James Suner of The James Group to Gartman personally, one for $1,500 and another for $5,000. Suner explained the $5,000 check first as closet installation in one of his development’s model homes, then as work on the initial James Group website. He says that it was Gartman’s responsibility to recuse himself – if necessary – from voting on any of The James Group’s projects.
Gartman never did, according to city records, which leaves this community with a problem. Gilroy, apparently, needs to adopt “trust, but verify” as modus operandi. The Santa Clara County Grand Jury should launch an investigation into local politics. It could restore trust in the system and provide recommendations for tighter controls.
Meanwhile, Gilroyans should remain generous, but also ask extra questions before making that generous donation.
