Debate rages over accountability in Munks fallout

San Mateo County's elected officials should be held publicly accountable for their actions.

[Nice 7th grade reporting]

Manekin:

So you went around and asked a bunch of elected officials who have no authority to do anything and asked if they think what the Sheriff allegedly did was ok? All of which knew you would report their answer in the newspaper.

Your article is the equivalent of asking 7th grade student council candidates if there should be free ice cream at lunch hour.

Is there answer really shocking or newsworthy?? Absolutely not. You just wasted 10 minutes of my life I will never get back.

I'm very disappointed in you and your newspaper.

[you are missing the point]

Dear Nice: It would actually be nice if you were correct that this kind of article is more or less like asking kids if they want ice cream. But here is the funny thing. Many of our elected county officials have actually said in so many words, and through their inaction, that what the sheriff did was okay. Even if they didn't defend him publicly (though some did), they counseled him in private to let it blow over, and then the Big Silence. Some of them (Jerry Hill) took his money for a campaign and repaid him with total silence on the issue until the media coverage forced him to send some of the money back.

Given how the county officials have closed ranks in the last year, it's actually pretty newsworthy that some officials don't such an easygoing view of our top law enforcement officer going to a brothel with underaged girls and lots of illegal drugs. The news part is, maybe the good ole boys network can be cracked open a little in San Mateo County. This would be a good thing by the way. Good on the Daily News for staying on top of the story.

[Concerned Citizen]

The last time I checked there was a process to deal with this issue -- the ballot box -- either through a recall or when elected officials are up for reelection.
Frankly, I don't feel comfortable with the Board of Supervisors acting as judge and jury over morality or ethic issues of other public officials.

[you are missing the point]

The San Mateo Times article by Manekin has interesting reporting on how other counties around here handle egregious ethical violations by top-level county officials. San Mateo County has much less procedure laid out than most others. It's like we are a backwater, because it's pretty obvious that in a case like this one, going to the ballot box every four years is not enough. I'm not sure I would want the Board of Supes to act as judge and jury either, but we could have better procedures in place.

The other issue here is the pure cronyism of the folks who run this county. That's the underlying issue.

It may be true that there was nothing the Supes could do to "officially" to oust Munks, but it was more than just having their hands tied as they like to say--they closed ranks around him. They told him to ride it out. They never mentioned it in a meeting or started an investigation. Jerry Hill went to his house and took Munks' money for his campaign, ferchrissakes.

Concerned, it's not being judge and jury to point out that what Munks did was disgusting, totally inappropriate behavior for a top-level law enforcement officer of the county, and otherwise put political pressure on him. If the system we have now (unfortunately) is that Munks is supposed to police his own behavior, then our county leaders could at least have held a mirror up to his face in a more public way. We saw it with Spitzer and now the Staten Island guy. But not in good ole San Mateo County.

[SanMateoResident]

The real point that Manekin missed is look at how other places have handled scandals.
Elliot Spitzer was forced to resign because elected officials of all parties called for his resignation.
If the San Mateo Board of Supervisors all joined in a chorus of asking Munks to resign or even passing a censure resolution or a vote of no confidence, Munk would have been history.
Instead, our corrupt Board blames our charter for their inability to get rid of Munks.

As comparison, let's watch what happens with Vito Fossella of NY with his scandal of his out of wedlock child and mistress.
I am confident that NY elected leaders will be calling for Fossella's resignation over the next week and that he resigns by the end of the month.
That's what leaders are supposed to do, LEAD!
Jerry Hill and his band of misfits are not leaders.

[Ready to vote]

This was a great article. I worked as a reporter 20 years ago in Los Angeles and my only concern is that this article should have been published 10 or 11 months ago as a timely follow-up. Quite frankly, the Munks and Bolanos affair would be a dead issue if it were not for Speier and Eshoo. I have rewarded Speier with my one, measly vote. I have already asked for guidance concerning three supervisor candidates on the rest of the ballot before I mail it in. Hill is not on my ballot. We are not just talking about morality or ethics, we are determining the quality of leadership that we in San Mateo County now expect. This is a turning point, county government may just have to improve. Munks and Bolanos represent all that is wrong with the old system.

[Concerned Citizen]

Again, I press my point. Do we really want to entrust the Board of Supervisors with oversight of other elected officials? Over the years, members of the Board of Supervisors have beeen as culpable of wrongdoings as the innuendos surrounding Sheriff Munks.

San Mateo County Supervisors face many pressing issues including, but not limited to, addressing budget issues. Let's let them wrestle with the problems at hand and let the voters decide on Sheriff Munk's future.

[Michael G Stogner]

For Norm Heise, a Belmont resident and former member of the county's civil grand jury, the supervisors' initial inaction proves the body would be incapable of conducting a fair investigation.
Instead, the county's civil grand jury should probe the sheriff's trip and expand its investigation into "how the county's good-old-boy system was at work" in the board's lack of action, Heise said.

I agree with Norm about the Board of Supervisors would be incapable of conducting a fair Investigation.
Also John Maltbie said it wee. The Board of Supervisors has NO INTENTION to investigate.
That leaves the Grand Jury, Slight problem there is James P. Fox would advise them and he and Steve Wagstaffe sent e-mails of condolences to Munks,
So that rules out the Grand Jury of San Mateo County.

If Congresswoman Jackie Speier could help us get the transcripts for the arresting/detaining officers the night of April 21, 2007 Operation Dollhouse involving ONLY the communications between Munks/Bolanos and the officers that would be helpful.

Those documents have been SEALED for some unknown reason. All Law Enforcement have said they let the johns go no charges no big deal right.

Why are the records SEALED?

If it was just a mistake like Sheriff Greg Munks told us
would he have any objection to those records being UNSEALED.

Greg Munks is no Spitzer every minute he remains in office he is hurting San Mateo County.

I read today San Mateo County received $0.00 thats ZERO of the $100,000,000 expected from Corrections for partial funding of $140,000,000 new jail. I wonder if they are sending Munks a message.

[Disgustd]

I liked it when former Sheriff Plumer pointed out that a fish rots from the head down.

[Child Support]

Stogner:

I'm sending you a message. Put your money where your mouth is and start a recall.

You won't do it because I suspect you would be able to get less than 200 signatures of the 35,000 plus required.

Time to find a job that pays and meet your moral and financial obligations.

What kind of example are you setting for your children?

[I Agree]

Nice 7th grade reporting wrote:

I'm very disappointed in you and your newspaper.

I agree. This paper is more like a London Tabloid than an actual newspaper.

For example, you are reporting on what people said in blog. A blog where anyone can sign anone's name.

Very sloppy reporting....

You might as well start reporting on what you read in a bathroom stall somewhere.

[Hal]

Stogner is a flim flam, a snake oil salesman. He has been TALKING recall for a year, yet he has not gotten one signal singature. In fact, he hasn't even taken out papers.

He talks talks talks, hangs out in courtrooms all day, but doesn't put his money where his mouth is.

How some people can take what he says as credible is beyond me.

SOBE BOTTLE!

[Seriously]

"I don't think the electorate is in a good position to evaluate whether they're doing a good job." -- Sue Lempert

I just wanted to quote this to illustrate how this issue has made otherwise smart people say galactically stupid and undemocratic things -- mostly because reporters are looking for quotes, and no one seems to remember 7th grade civics. If any elected official is is to lose his job, it must be because 51% of the people want him gone and say so in a vote. Anything else is the tyranny of a minority of folks. If a circulated recall petition can't get enough signatures, that's an indication that most people don't want him to leave, period. And if no one is willing to circulate the petition, that also resolves the issue. It means that too small a minority of people think he's a problem.

[Disgustd]

I'm surprised Ms.Lempert didn't end her quote with "let them eat cake."
Sorry, Sue, there are more than 10 of us who think that our elected leaders should do us all a favor and just quit.

[there is an issue here]

To "Seriously": Of course the ballot box is the ultimate decider, but in the meantime a strong democracy will tolerate strong discussion and dissent. I agree with you that anonymous blogs are pretty worthless, and I'm not a fan of Stogner, but several "name" people in this county, including Eshoo, Speier, and Repub candidate Brinkman, have called for more investigation and also called our county supervisors to account for their inaction. This is a good thing.
But some people here are trying to distract from this reasonable line of questioning by pointing out that Stogner is an ass. They are trying to sidetrack away from what Eshoo, Speier and Brinkman are saying about our county elected officials.
The problem is, if we are not paying attention in between each election, then we will get the leaders we deserve, which is what we have now, the cronies in county leadership who scratch each other's backs by protecting each other and fundraising for each other in return. You don't have to go all nuclear with a recall to point out strongly that our county supervisors have dropped the ball on this one, or that Munks could get more political pressure to resign (and save the county money that would be spent on a recall election).

[Michael G Stogner]

you are missing the point wrote:

The San Mateo Times article by Manekin has interesting reporting on how other counties around here handle egregious ethical violations by top-level county officials. San Mateo County has much less procedure laid out than most others. It's like we are a backwater, because it's pretty obvious that in a case like this one, going to the ballot box every four years is not enough. I'm not sure I would want the Board of Supes to act as judge and jury either, but we could have better procedures in place.
The other issue here is the pure cronyism of the folks who run this county. That's the underlying issue.
It may be true that there was nothing the Supes could do to "officially" to oust Munks, but it was more than just having their hands tied as they like to say--they closed ranks around him. They told him to ride it out. They never mentioned it in a meeting or started an investigation. Jerry Hill went to his house and took Munks' money for his campaign, ferchrissakes.
Concerned, it's not being judge and jury to point out that what Munks did was disgusting, totally inappropriate behavior for a top-level law enforcement officer of the county, and otherwise put political pressure on him. If the system we have now (unfortunately) is that Munks is supposed to police his own behavior, then our county leaders could at least have held a mirror up to his face in a more public way. We saw it with Spitzer and now the Staten Island guy. But not in good ole San Mateo County.

Also Manekin and Bishop supplied us with the e-mails of condolences from James P. Fox who is elected and Steve Wagstaffe who is an Employee of San Mateo County and the Board of Supervisors have not spoken publicly about the highest ranking and most powerful
Employee sending such an e-mail stating the Sheriff being caught as a customer of underaged human trafficked sex slaves is a NON STORY.

I respectfully disagree with Steve Wagstaffe. I also question his ability to determine who should be charged with crimes in San Mateo County.

Oversight of the District Attorneys Office and Sheriff is a MUST in San Mateo County.