A Thoughtful Comment From A Reader Cuts Through Golub’s Culpability

[JK: A comment submitted by someone using the name Chuckery cuts through the noise]

We live in an age of deflection.  Like children taken to task, we attempt to deflect scrutiny of our behavior with red herrings: “There’s nothing to see here.  It’s all a conspiracy; it’s a Republican vs. Democrat thing; its racially motivated; and besides, the transgression involved eight minutes, a jug of Drano and a clogged sink”.  These logical fallacies conveniently elide over the crux of the matter.

Mr. Golub’s lack of judgment in using City resources for personal purposes occurred when he was a City officer.  While some City officials and residents may view the ethics and integrity of their public officers as situationally optional, Mr. Golub’s current employer does not. The State of New York has zero tolerance for unethical behavior that violates the Public Officer’s Law. “Public officials must exemplify the highest ethical standards. This includes using state resources only to conduct state business. There is no place for engaging in private sector work or transactions in a state office or using state employees or resources to perform such work.”  (Executive Director, NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government).

Regardless of the outcome of Mr. Golub’s case, it is likely his new employer will determine his continued employment creates a political liability the State is unwilling to bear. What message does it send his agency’s 25,000+ employees when a newly-appointed member of their leadership team deemed it acceptable to use public resources for private purposes? 

Red herrings aside, Mr. Golub clearly exercised questionable judgment and violated the public trust. He needs to reflect on the choice he made and ask himself if his decision to use City resources was worth tarnishing his reputation, potentially losing his job and compromising his future livelihood. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the strength of character and integrity we expect and should demand from our public servants. This is about ethics and integrity in government. It’s not about a conspiracy, racial bias, the R’s vs. the D’s, or that silly argument that eight minutes, a jug of Drano and a clogged sink makes this much ado about nothing.