As voters consider what kind of qualities make a good leader, usually they determine that upstanding character is a must. The public should be able to look to the halls of government and find individuals that are ethical and trustworthy. Unfortunately, that ideal often is not met by those entrusted to be an advocate for their constituents. It has come to the public's attention that Sacramento has been hit with another scandal in the state legislature. Senator Roderick Wright paid-off a woman in order to keep her sexual harassment claim quiet, among a list of other alleged misdeeds.

Taxpayer dollars, to the tune of $120,000, were used to keep Wright's legislative aide from going public with her allegations of sexual harassment. What's more is that Senate leadership kept the settlement documents sealed until the Los Angeles Times requested that the records of the hush money be released.

In addition to the public outcry over the dubious nature of the politician's behavior and subsequent cover-up, citizen's advocacy groups are protesting the use of public money to cover up the irresponsible actions of state officials.

Individuals show up at work expecting to feel safe and comfortable in order to succeed in their careers and provide for themselves and those they care about. The situation became so unbearable for the legislative aide that she chose to leave her job in the spring of 2010 in a tough economy.

A tremendous amount of trust is placed in leaders when they are elected to serve the public. If we cannot count on them to serve as concerned advocates, especially for those that work for them, who can we rely on to watch out for us?

Source: Los Angeles Times, "Harassment claim against legislator settled in secret, records show," Patrick McGreevy, Dec. 16, 2011