BCT Editorial – 10/10/08

This page was last updated on October 10, 2008.

Perception; Editorial; Beaver County Times; October 10, 2008.

I agree with the editorial’s conclusion, but I wanted to make a couple of points.

First, though the editorial mentioned an “advertising executive friend,” it glossed over the friendship issue. The “Lamar Advertising executive” was a longtime personal friend of Mr. Ford, and the gift law exempts gifts from friends from the reporting requirement. Thus on two points, Mr. Ford did nothing illegal. That said, I agree people working for – or on behalf of – the government should not accept gifts from people with whom they do business, regardless of value and whether they’re friends or not.

Second, that Mr. Ford (Actually it was his wife.) accepted the gift was not “irony,” at least not according to the definition I learned/use. Then again, I’m not a professional “journalist.”