As Canadians watch in fascination and disgust at the ongoing scandal swirling around Toronto mayor Rob Ford, the case is a great reminder of the vital importance of elected officials being accountable to the public at large.
West Central Alberta residents can be thankful that the mayors, reeves and councillors in this region have consistently shown much, much better judgment than Ford has done, both in their personal lives and in public office.
Is it too much to say that the Ford scandal has caused significant damage to the reputation of Canada's largest city, with the municipal council essentially being held hostage by an admitted drug abuser and drunk driver?
The Ford situation is a sorry example of what can sometimes go badly wrong in the political arena.
While elected officials must of course be given certain latitudes to conduct their tasks, the public must, in the end, have the final say on whether those same public servants remain on the job.
And that is because if politicians are allowed to write their own rules for their own conduct, the ordinary citizens who rely on those politicians to run good government are removed from their rightful place as the ones with the final say.
Alberta has, of course, had its own fair share of politicians who have gone off the rails, embarrassing themselves and the province too.
Who will ever forget Premier Ralph Klein's drunken rants at an Edmonton shelter when he berated vulnerable homeless individuals and tossed money at their feet?
Or what about Alberta MP Stockwell Day causing no end of controversy and embarrassment with his ill-advised comments about a Red Deer defence lawyer?
In both Klein's and Day's cases, the men eventually overcame their respective scandals, going on to continue serving the public in an upright and honest way.
Elected officials in West Central Alberta have time and again set an excellent example of integrity and honesty in public office. Residents can be proud to have such dedicated and committed individuals running the municipalities in this region.
At the same time, elected officials here, and indeed across Canada, should always remember that they will be held to the highest standards when it comes to their personal and public behaviour. It is in the best interest of democracy that that is the case.
The Rob Ford scandal will of course eventually fade from public view, leaving only a bitter memory and an important lesson on what can happen when politicians decide they are no longer accountable to the community they serve.
