Story conspicuous by its absence
Editorial
Posted By QMI AGENCY
Posted 1 month ago
It's been suggested over this past week that the Ingersoll Times would publish the stories about Warden Paul Holbrough, also Ingersoll's mayor, that appeared last week in our sister publication, the Woodstock Sentinel-Review.
While typically we do share copy with Oxford County's daily newspaper, in this case, we chose not to republish the story.
It's already been over a week since the story broke about the warden using a county credit card to pay for charges incurred at a strip club while on a personal trip. The follow-up has been done and we don't feel we can add anything new.
By now, people will have read, seen or heard about this story from any number of news and media outlets that picked it up. This story went 'viral' and was reported in a surprising number of places.
Some points worth repeating about this situation come from an editorial on the subject.
"By violating Oxford's strict prohibition on using county credit cards for personal use, Holbrough, whatever his rationale, knowingly disregarded municipal policy. While, to some, the transgression may seem minor, particularly with Holbrough's subsequent repayment, it shows a definite lack of judgment.
And that lack of judgment is very much relevant, given his important responsibilities to the residents of this county. That was why the SentinelReview broke this story.
Reporter Hugo Rodrigues rightly indicated that his reportage would have been just as dogged if the card had been used to purchase clothing or food during this personal vacation. The fact that Holbrough used the card at a strip club is more a reflection of his judgment than some journalistic grudge or agenda.
Since the inception of a free press, newspapers have served as watchdogs, keeping keen eyes on those in power to ensure that power is not abused. While not suggesting Warden Holbrough's poor choice was an egregious abuse of power, he knew what he was doing was wrong but decided to do it anyway.
We are, ultimately, all judged on our decisions. And those in public office, by dint of their responsibilities, need to be held to a higher standard.
Whatever the result of these revelations, the public had a right to know, and the newspaper had an obligation to report."
