I am a constituent of Ald. Michael McGee, Jr.
I did not vote for Ald Mike McGee, Jr. in the recall election.
That being said, we all need to remember that McGee is innocent until proven guilty. It's tough to stomach nearly everyone passing judgment on McGee before he's even arraigned on his charges. Citizens from both sides of the political aisle have been extremely quick to cast judgment on McGee in light of some overwhelming evidence against him.
The federal and state charges that have been leveled are quite serious for an elected official and if convicted could send him to prison for a long time. He also has a long rap sheet of run-ins with local law enforcement as well as many notable public statements which have not endeared him to mainstream Milwaukee.
If I were a betting man, I would wager a great deal that these accusations will be proven true to some degree or another. But at the same time, if I were in his shoes for an equal crime, I would hope that I would be afforded the constitutionally protected assumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.
Too often in our society we are far too quick to adjudicate in our mind's eye someone who is simply accused. This recent episode should remind us to exhibit patience until he has his day in court to prove or disprove the accusations. I know this is hard for anyone to do based on the initial reactions I have heard on talk radio as well as Sunday morning political pundit shows.
What's sad is that I have actually witnessed McGee's devotion to his biddable constituents first-hand and can actually understand why there are still those who believe in him and contend that he is a very able representative. Unfortunately, his alleged furtive and payola-esque dealings and apoplectic behavior leave little to be desired in the opinion of this writer, voter and constituent. I'm gung ho for new leadership in this extremely diverse district.
We, as constituents and citizens, can only hope that this episode does not come to represent Milwaukee politics. There are far too many fecund leaders who we ought to be championing instead of glamorizing the ineffective.
