The latest elected state official to do the perp walk is former House Majority Leader and Corporations Committee Chairman Gerard M. Martineau, who has agreed to plead guilty to federal mail fraud and influence peddling charges in the continuing saga known as “Operation Dollar Bill.”
Martineau, who the government says accepted payments of more than $900,000 from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and CVS Corp. in exchange for influencing legislation before the General Assembly, is not the first official charged in this ongoing investigation. And according to the Justice Department, he won’t be the last. Where there are human organizations, there will be corruption. But it is possible to put systems in place to limit the temptation. Rhode Island state government, to the contrary, seems specifically designed to do the opposite. So here’s an idea – why not require individuals elected to the General Assembly to put their assets in a blind trust. And then pay them an actual salary as if it is a job that demands accountability and responsibility. Strong medicine, yes. But this problem has gone on for too long.
Of course, paying a salary will add to the expenditure side of an already badly out-of-balance budget, which will make this solution difficult to implement. In the long run, of course, an accountable legislature that puts its public duties first will save the state a good deal of money. Unfortunately, politicians are not known for their long-term orientation.
But Rhode Island is getting to be known for its culture of corruption – is Buddy Cianci really the best that we can do for a local media personality? – and that reputation costs us economic opportunity.
It is time to attack this problem at the root, as opposed to continuing to prune a limb here or there.
