Rowland’s Trials Have

Made Him Better

To the Editor:

As the drumbeats roll for the political assassination of Governor John Rowland, it is a heady thing to recognize that we have the power to destroy or to restore.

Gov Rowland has admitted to accepting gifts from state employees and friends who do business with the state and lying about it. He has assumed full responsibility for both actions and has promised to cooperate with a federal investigation to determine whether he provided any favors or took any actions in exchange for those gifts.

From his speech, it is plain that Gov Rowland’s remorse comes from the realization that he has lost the trust of the citizens of Connecticut. To a public official, that punishment is acute. What torments him the most is that he has strayed from his own values and beliefs.

What, then, do we do with our fallen leader? What we do from this point on says a great deal more about our character than it does about John Rowland’s.

Unlike many others who have fallen short of the standard many of us ascribe to, Gov Rowland has not continued in denial. He has not declared the standard does not apply to people in high position. He has not declared that his standard is different, and he is sorry if what he did offended some people. He has made no excuses. Rather, he asks for our forgiveness and the opportunity to win back the trust he has lost.

 The choice is ours. We can declare him unfit to serve, despite his repentance, and deprive ourselves of his leadership. Or we can allow him to exercise the profound lessons he has learned and benefit from leadership made even more exemplary. We choose the latter.

Sincerely,

Richard and Carol Recht

11 Tunnel Road, Newtown                                         January 12, 2004