Councilman Kohring? Really?

Well, I was truly stunned to see the headlines in this newspaper and others. Vic Kohring has filed papers for a run in the Wasilla City Council. Seat F to be precise. It may be déjà’ vu, but it is more like bad juju.

There seems to be a lot of this stuff going around — disgraced politicians trying to make a come back. Like former Gov. Mark Sandford who went AWOL to meet up with his South American girlfriend on the state’s dime. Hard to believe this, but he got elected to Congress. Ex-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned after posting photos best saved for his wife. He is running for mayor of New York City, and he is hot water again for posting more photos in poor taste. These guys and a few others disgraced themselves with acts of sexual stupidity.

The real head-scratcher is that at least one or more succeeded. (There are others, but I won’t bore you with the names.) Now we come to the question of Kohring’s attempt at a political comeback. He is a convicted felon, guilty by his own admission. My question is this: Do we really need this farce?

Are we gullible enough to allow this man to be elected into a position of power again? Bluntly put, no!

It is bad enough those other guys are doing it, and even worse that a few of them have been successful in their election bids to regain political power. I believe Alaskans in this Valley are far smarter than that. I, for one, will not vote for Kohring. Re-electing a convicted felon would be the pinnacle of embarrassment for our state, this Valley and the city of Wasilla.

There is an old saying: “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Kohring betrayed the trust of every Alaskan by accepting bribes. Not gifts, they were bribes in truth and in court. One bribe was even caught on videotape. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a court of law. Sentenced to federal prison for a year and 18 months of probation. This falls under the “fool me once” line. His case took a turn when the prosecutorial misconduct sprang him from jail, but in the end he pleaded guilty to bribery charges and is a convicted felon.

Now after his discharge from probation, he can vote once more and file to run for public office.

Should he be forgiven for violating the law and the public’s trust? Maybe in time. But should these errors in judgment, these ethical lapses, be forgotten? Never. If elected to office once more that line “fool me twice, shame on me” will apply to everyone suckered into voting for him. We were the victims last time, not Kohring, as he alleges in his telling of the story. Kohring broke the law and violated our trust. Do we really need to become his victims again?

It is up to the voters of Wasilla to decide now. You — the registered voter. I have made my decision and voiced my opinion here. It may be déjà vu, but it is more like bad juju — very bad juju, and very bad news for the city of Wasilla. We can do much better than this and we will.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.