EDITORIAL: Bosma missed his chance

In our state government, Democrats had established a well-earned reputation of being in the pocket of unions. Remember the dark comedy of House members from the Democratic side fleeing town and hiding in other states during the session to stop right-to-work legislation. Remember how they got nailed at the polls in the next election, at least partially for abandoning their duty to represent their districts. We certainly hope they remember.

But its Republicans now who are carrying an ever heavier stigma related to crony capitalism and delivering a sense of anything goes with regard to ethics and conflict of interest. Failure not to take such matters more seriously could easily lead to an end of their one-party control in the Statehouse. Common citizens in their own party, as well as Democrats, are fed up with government officials who serve themselves rather than constituents who put them in power.

Bosma had a chance to make a statement about this matter concerning once-Grant County’s own Eric Turner, R-Cicero, who still represents a section of the county.

Turner worked to defeat a state ban on the construction of new nursing homes, which the Associated Press reported would have potentially cost him millions in future earnings through Mainstreet Property Group, a company Turner co-owns with his son and others that builds nursing homes.

An investigation of Turner’s actions by the House Ethics Committee found that he did not technically violate any of the state’s ethics rules because he fought the ban during private meetings of the GOP caucus rather than on the House floor or in House Committee meeting.

The Ethics Committee said Turner violated the spirit of the law and the rules need to be tightened. No kidding.

It is possible for people to do very wrong things for which they should be accountable without them breaking a written rule that can’t cover every instance of wrongdoing. We think that is obviously the case here. Rules and laws regarding conduct should spring from a perception of right and wrong. We don’t decide what is right or wrong by looking at what is legal.

But Bosma said he would issue no sanctions against Turner, who serves as speaker pro tem. The House will consider tightening the rules, he said.

Regardless of how he dealt with Turner, Bosma was bound make a statement to the public. That statement was it’s business as usual for the Republicans in power. That’s not a good message.