Dear Editor:
Individual free speech rights are incredibly important.
By becoming a public official, it means being subject to public scrutiny.
Like it or not, the public expects elected officials to behave according to higher standards. It’s a matter of ethics and integrity.
As a public servant, empowered by voters to serve, sitting elected officials would better serve the community by refraining from making public declarations for or against any candidate, whether it be city, county or national level positions.
The benefits, whatever they are, are small compared to the costs of undermining public confidence and trust in government.
Candidate endorsements by elected officials unnecessarily polarizes local politics, minimizes effective government and halts bipartisan efforts to create positive change.
What any person says to another person privately is, of course, their right to comment. Giving someone a personal opinion in private shouldn’t be concerning.
However, when a person is elected to office, they become a public officer. I believe that a public officer has a duty to serve the public with undivided loyalty, uninfluenced by any private interest or motive.
Care must be taken not to violate this duty of trust, either in appearance or in fact.
For better or for worse, public officials must accept the simple fact that they are “always on,” when speaking publicly and privately.
When public officials take it upon themselves to support or attack a candidate for office publicly, it frequently does more harm than good—possibly for the candidate, but definitely for the public they have been elected to represent.
Dennis Biancuzzo
Clearfield County Commissioner Candidate