Would the employer of a server at a restaurant , the clerk at a department store, an electrician, plumber, corrections officer, truck driver, health care worker…..or even the CEO of a bank, college or hospital be allowed to spend a large amount of time each day seeking another job while “one the clock”?
I don’t think so.
Believe it or not, this situation is allowed by the employers (citizens) of Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum. They have all started actively campaigning for a new elected position.
Crist wants to be a U.S. Senator, Sink wants to be the Governor, as does McCollum.
Each one of these “public servants” is being paid approximately $130,000 per year while they actively campaign for the next 16 months for another position.
Florida is the fourth largest state in the country with a population of almost 20 million people. How can the Governor, Chief Financial Officer and the Attorney General find the time to adequately perform the duties of the offices they currently hold while more and more of their time is going to be spent on the campaign trail?
They cannot!
The lack of time spent on the job creates an obvious conflict between their campaign activities and their sworn duties to the people of Florida. We all know that their current job responsibilities will suffer….and I believe already are. The citizens of Florida are, in essence, paying these three individuals a full time salary while they run statewide campaigns.
Crist, Sink and McCollum all say they will not neglect their duties while running for other jobs.
Saying and doing are two very different things. They know it is impossible.
I am not criticizing these three individuals as much as I am the system that allows this to happen. The Florida legislature could easily change the law, thus prohibiting our top elected officials from holding onto their current held positions while seeking the next.
The chance of this happening is very slim, considering that many of these politicians use the existing law when they decide to seek another office. Hence, they are not motivated to change a law that benefits them.
There is an alternate way to rectify this bad law. Any office holder who wants to campaign for his or her next office could simply do what is right and resign from their current position.
Mr. Crist should resign as governor since his real focus is now on the U.S. Senate.
Atty. General McCollum should resign since he is now campaigning for governor as should CFO Sink.
My criticizism of this flawed law is non-partisan. I care not if it involves a Republican or Democrat. Both parties have “gamed the system” to their advantage.
Crist and McCollum are Republicans. Sink is a democrat.
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