What can lead to political corruption

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – From mayors to sheriffs – over the past year, accusations of political corruption have made the news in our area on several occasions.

Temptation. It’s something everyone faces.

But for public officials with access to public resources, usually money, and sometimes without much monitoring, that temptation can be a stronger pull.

“It’s very difficult to regulate the use of resources. You know we have a State Auditor’s Office we have other controls, maybe even some at the local level, but they can’t be there 24 seven. And if somebody wants to be crafty, they can conceal what they’re doing. They can misrepresent it, and they can get away with it at least for a while,” said Dr. Brian Anderson.

Not everyone succumbs to the temptation. Dr. Brian Anderson thinks it sometimes comes down to validation.

“I think some of them it’s a personal belief that they deserve a little more than they’re getting in their office. And some folks out there, be it a sheriff or even somebody behind the scenes in an administrative capacity, who works a really tough job, and might get a lot of flack for what they do, they might feel like the official compensation for what they’re doing is not enough,” said Dr. Anderson.

And when that official is caught, the public trust can be broken.

“There’s this assumption of integrity that goes into being a public servant. In fact, the name itself, kind of, you want to feel good for this person, and then you feel slimed when you find out that they’ve been abusing their power, especially for a personal purpose,” said Dr. Anderson.

Dr. Anderson said it’s always important to hold officials accountable.

“We always have to fight against getting sloppy and against assuming that just because somebody is really doing a great job in their first couple years that they won’t sort of slouch their way into a bad situation later in their career,” said Dr. Anderson.

Transparency is key. Dr. Anderson said it’s good to have outside agencies check-in. Have them look at quarterly reports and meetings.

And if something doesn’t add up, they can help figure out what’s going on and if there is a problem get the bottom of it.