Des Moines Register
09-07-06
Hansen: Is it too much to expect integrity and compassion?
By MARC HANSEN
REGISTER COLUMNIST
It's nice to see Ed Fallon backing fellow Democrat Ako Abdul-Samad. Loyalty is a
wonderful trait.
Fallon gave up his Iowa House seat to run for governor. Abdul-Samad wants to
fill the vacancy in Fallon's Des Moines district. Abdul-Samad's supporters say
their candidate is a man of intelligence and integrity.
Intelligence or integrity, maybe. The Central Iowa Employment and Training
Consortium misspent $180,000 in taxpayer money earmarked for the Creative
Visions social-service agency.
Abdul-Samad is the director of Creative Visions. He was also on the CIETC
board at the time. If anyone was in a position to know Creative Visions wasn't
getting all the money it had coming, it was him.
Either he isn't that smart after all or it's an integrity issue. I don't have the answer,
but it's one or the other.
Fallon, meanwhile, has had some explaining to do and makes a decent case. He
tells people Abdul-Samad has done a tremendous job in the neighborhood.
He says he'd rather have someone who cares about people and justice than
some slick political operator who files paperwork properly.
He says the media should concern themselves with real scandals — like the
appalling mortality rate among black infants in Iowa. Not to mention all the young
black men in Fallon's district more likely to spend four years in prison than four
years in college.
And why aren't we up in arms about Des Moines' homeless youth? Per capita the
worst percentage in the country.
At least Abdul-Samad is trying to address those problems, Fallon says.
Somebody should. But is it too much to ask for the entire package in a public
servant? Is it too much to ask for intelligence, integrity, competence — and
compassion?
Is it too much to ask Ako to tidy up the mess at Creative Visions before making a
run at the legislature?
Despite his troubles lately, he remains the heavy favorite. Republican Jack
Whitver seems to be the main competition.
A former college football player, Whitver enrolled at Iowa State University
without a scholarship.
Through hard work and determination he earned a full ride, became one of the
best players on the team, and picked up a master's degree in business to boot.
Whitver is smart and competent, and you'd hire him in a minute if you were
recruiting junior executives. His chances, however, are nil.
The thought of giving House Speaker Christopher Rants another playmate is
enough to send most voters in Democrat-drenched District 66 sprinting widereceiver-like to the ballot box.
The reality is that Abdul-Samad doesn't need Fallon's assistance. So it was
interesting to see Fallon offer — a gesture that could come back to haunt him if
he runs for office again.
If he attacks his next opponent for ethical or professional shortcomings, the
opponent could throw Abdul-Samad back in his face. Wouldn't you?
Fallon ran a good campaign in the primary. He was down to earth and
independent. His progressive yet commonsense approach appealed to
Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike.
Fallon isn't reaching across party lines on this one.
In the grand scheme, it's true. Abdul-Samad is a relatively small worry. Slightly
smaller than Archie Brooks; much smaller than the waning credibility of the
nonprofit organization.
The perception of the humble, pure-hearted nonprofit is changing for the worse.
Not too long ago — as I remember it, anyway — charitable organizations weren't
in it for the money.
They were in it to help humanity, to feed the hungry and shelter the poor. They
went where the government couldn't or wouldn't.
Life as a nonprofit is hard enough without scandal. The dollars evaporate when
the economy takes a dip.
When rich people pay less in taxes, they're likely to shelter less income.
Board members have no long-term stake in the operation. If Tom Vlassis held
CIETC stock, he wouldn't have been such a rubber stamp.
Now there's the trust factor. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, public
trust has plunged since 9/11.
Before then, 90 percent of Americans surveyed said they had a great deal or fair
amount of confidence in charitable organizations.
The latest number is 69 percent, with 71 percent of the respondents saying
charitable groups waste a great deal or a fair amount of money.
That 71 percent is onto something. A report in the Harvard Business Review a
few years ago said nonprofits could save an extra $100 billion in resources by
operating more efficiently. A hundred billion! That buys a lot of job training.
The New York University professor who directed the latest survey said nonprofits
got the benefit of the doubt before 9/11.
"I believe," said Paul C. Light, a man who never even heard of CIETC, "that has
changed for the foreseeable future."