Column: LGBT candidates should check their closets thoroughly

By David Webb – The Rare Reporter During every election cycle at some point I start to wonder why anyone would even want to run for elected office in light of the nastiness of politics. It’s easy to see why older LGBT people would be attracted to the idea of public service because it provides an opportunity to put professional skills to use for the public good while keeping busy in retirement. We also know how important it is for the advancement of LGBT rights to have openly gay people serving on government bodies. It sounds like a perfect idea for the professional who is retired or nearing retirement to round out a career, but be forewarned of the risks. Any candidate announcing a political campaign opens themselves up to the most invasive intrusion into their personal and professional lives possible. The truth is that practically everyone has something in their lives that they would just as soon not become public knowledge, and that might well happen. No matter how long ago something happened and regardless of whether it went unnoticed at the time, someone will either remember it or discover it when the spotlight focuses on a political candidate. And misdemeanor convictions suddenly become a very big deal.
A lesbian Dallas City Council candidate recently learned that when she went before The Dallas Morning News editorial board and found herself under fire over a misdemeanor criminal record. The editorial board had obviously done its homework by researching the candidate’s criminal record. It’s really easy to do because the Dallas County District Clerk’s Web site and many other government entities across the country offer free public access to all criminal and civil records. And for a small fee anyone can access commercial Web sites that offer the same information about anyone living anywhere. On her own, the candidate owned up to pleading guilty in 2007 to misdemeanor theft in connection with her former job as executive director of a nonprofit local public improvement district. The candidate said an audit of her expense reimbursements turned up irregularities. The reimbursements were for cash payments she made for contract labor and supplies for maintenance jobs such as painting and minor repairs in connection with public improvements, she noted. The audit reportedly revealed an absence of substantiating receipts. Originally, she wanted to go to trial and fight the charge, said the candidate, who was fired from her job in 2005 over the discrepancy, but after two years she was broke and unable to proceed. It didn’t seem like such a big deal to plead guilty to misdemeanor theft to end the case, she said. Her penalty was a $1,000 fine and a probated 180-day sentence. What the candidate apparently didn’t realize was that the editorial board would also uncover an almost two-decade-old DWI conviction and a bad check for $20 she wrote almost a decade ago in a grocery store. The candidate said she didn’t mention the DWI because it had occurred so long ago, and she didn’t even think about the bad check that she made good for in 2009 when she learned about it from the District Attorney’s collection division. The Dallas Morning News editorial board however did think it was a big deal, and in an editorial they declined to endorse the candidate over it while noting she seemed capable and had some good ideas. At the same time, it declined to endorse the incumbent or a third candidate in the race, without saying anything good about them. Having known the lesbian candidate as a strong neighborhood leader for more than a decade, I believed her explanation about the theft charge. As regards the DWI and the bad check charges, they’re as common as rodents and insects in all parts of the country. Last weekend, the lesbian candidate wound up losing the race and coming in third place. It’s hard to know how much the revelation of the misdemeanor criminal record had to do with her losing, but it obviously didn’t help. Of course, the message here is for anyone considering a run for political office to make sure and check their criminal record before they step into the spotlight. There’s no telling who or what might be waiting to jump on stage with you. David Webb is a veteran journalist who has covered LGBT issues for the mainstream and alternative media for three decades. E-mail him at davidwaynewebb@yahoo.com.]]>