Jane Montgomery, revisited

I’ve just read a document on the recall web site that deserves discussion and so I'm adding a second blog today.

Shortly before Jane Montgomery was interviewed by the Pacific City Council for the city clerk position, I presented some ideas to the council on the sorts of questions to ask a person they were considering for confirmation. One of the questions I said they should ask is, "what will you do if your boss tells you to do something unethical or illegal?" The person posing the question to Ms. Montgomery during her interview was Councilman James McMahon. I was stunned that the council would so thoroughly vet a candidate and flattered that they actually posed one of my questions. (As I recall, Mayor Hildreth objected to questions of this nature.) Ms. Montgomery was caught off guard and stumbled through the answer. It seemed clear she hadn’t anticipated a question like that.  Afterward, when I tipped off Mr. McMahon about an employee who had shared with me his belief he was being poorly treated, not properly served by the union, and instructed by the mayor not to discuss this, Mr. McMahon responded with something not quite so flattering this time. He told me, this was none of my business, that I just didn’t like Mayor Hildreth, and if I didn’t like him, I knew what I could do about it. Not a nice thing to say, and not a smart thing to put into an e-mail.

 But maybe Mr. McMahon deserves a degree of forgiveness, because he did pose my question, and Jane Montgomery has  apparently responded with courage and professionalism to just the sort of situation discussed in that interview. You should read her letter to the city council regarding Mayor Cy Sun’s conduct. It is a really good peek at what can go on behind the scenes in government offices and precisely why whistleblowers deserve protection. Please read it for yourself.

Although I’ve never had to duck bullets, I know a little bit about courage, and here it is: Courage is not the same as boldness. When we talk about people being “bold,” the implication is that they’re not worried  by the adversity. Not so, with courage.The measure of courage is fear, and Jane Montgomery had reason to be afraid, because you never truly know who your friends are, until they are tested. This was her trial by fire.

Jane Montgomery had the courage to do what too many people over the past 10 years have been unwilling to do – stand up to unethical  or illegal activity and perservere. At times I have deeply regretted that I didn’t have that sort of courage when Mayor Rich Hildreth pressured the council not to review his appointee and the council rolled over and gave in, leaving me hanging out a mile, and feeling betrayed. And although I’ve had some words about Mr. McMahon’s inappropriate rebuke, it’s only fair to also thank him for asking that question during Jane Montgomery’s interview, because it meant she knew what was expected of her when the true test came, and it also clarified the council's obligation  to support her when the chips were down.