Editorial: Blakely conviction sends larger message

It ends the career of Alabama’s longest-serving sheriff. Blakely had been in office since 1983. In all those years, he never faced any truly serious opposition. He prevailed as an elected Democrat even as his county followed the rest of the state into the “solid Republican” column. He was the exception to the rule.

Blakely may have thought himself the exception to many rules. A Limestone County jury found him guilty of one count of theft involving $4,000 he took from his election campaign account. It also found him guilty of one count of using his office for personal gain, involving taking money from inmate funds to float himself interest-free loans. A former jail clerk testified Blakely would typically borrow hundreds of dollars at a time.

Ultimately, it was not the voters who removed Blakely from office, but a jury of his peers. Upon conviction, Blakely was immediately removed from office. He will also lose his state pension. Now the 70-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the two Class B felony convictions, which in his case could effectively be a life sentence.

Blakely’s sentencing is set for Aug. 20, and prosecutors have said they will be seeking jail time.

It is an ironic end to a long and storied law enforcement career, yet it seems all too typical of late, as we have seen other government officials and law enforcement officers brought down by the laws they are meant to uphold.

Either north Alabama has suddenly become more corrupt or the “good ol’ boys” system that has ruled for decades is finally starting to crack as it collides with the 21st century. We suspect it is the latter. Behavior that was winked at in the shadows is now exposed to the harsh light of day, and some people are getting blinded by the light.

Blakely is the third local sheriff in recent times to leave office in disgrace. Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett lost reelection after a scandal involving inmate food money that saw him spend a night in his own jail for violating a court order. His successor, Ana Franklin, met a similar end. By the end of her second term, Franklin’s legal problems involved a bankrupt car dealership, lawsuits and a federal investigation. Franklin, who had often styled herself as Blakely’s protegé, did not seek a third term.

Former Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving a scheme to falsely enroll unknowing students in a virtual school and pocket the money the state sent their way to pay for the students’ education. Former Athens City Schools superintendent Trey Holladay goes on trial Sept. 13 in Montgomery for his alleged part in the scheme.

Former Limestone County District Judge Douglas Patterson is serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to using his official position or office for personal gain, first-degree financial exploitation of the elderly and third-degree theft of property.

Officials without proper supervision are using their offices for personal gain, defrauding the public, giving themselves special favors and, in some cases, all the while acting as if they believe they’ve done nothing wrong or they’re just doing things the way they’ve always been done. Call it what it is: It’s a culture of corruption. It breeds disrespect for the law even among those charged with upholding the law. And it escalates.

We need not look to Chicago or Louisiana for political corruption. We have plenty of it right here. But with any luck these prosecutions, convictions and guilty pleas will serve a larger purpose: They will send the message that doing things the way they’ve always been done is over. The lights are on. – The Decatur Daily