A Republican member of the Maryland State Board of Elections, 52-year-old Carlos Ayala, was arrested by federal authorities two months ago and charged for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He resigned from the Board of Elections the same week.
In September 2023, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged with corruption-related offenses (for the second time in 10 years). New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, (and a slew of other Democratic leaders) called on Menendez to resign, saying the “alleged facts are so serious that they compromise” the senator’s ability to do his job. Menendez pushed back against an onslaught of calls for him to step down, even playing the “they’re out to get the Latino legislator” race card, but ultimately announced his resignation this week.
While Murphy called it behavior that “compromised the senator’s ability to do his job,” what is at play here is “the appearance of impropriety.” It is a concept often heard in discussions of judicial and attorney ethics. But it is also critical to the arena of politics and government, as well. It refers to situations where the actions of a government official (city, county, state or federal) creates the perception that they are violating the law or ethical standards, even when there’s no direct proof of wrongdoing. Such is the precise situation with sitting Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill, whose latest improprieties seem no longer to be merely a matter of perception.
Like Ayala and Menendez and many more who have violated the public trust, it’s time for Commissioner Hill to step down.
Hill has been accused of taking more than $100,000 from an elderly resident of her district. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has been investigating a complaint filed by Adriane Alexander on behalf of the 96-year-old she says was victimized by Hill. (Because of her age and vulnerable status, I have elected not to disclose her name or address– even though they appear in public documents.) On March 7, a report was filed by Special Agent Steve Brenton detailing his findings.
According to the report, Hill first came into contact with the elderly woman in March 2021. In less than a month’s time– hardly enough time for anyone to get to know anyone– the elderly lady signed power of attorney over to Hill, seemingly giving a complete stranger carte blanche control over her life’s savings. She explained to Brenton that she recalled signing a document at Hill’s request, but had no idea it was a power of attorney. She also said she would never have signed it if she had known what it was.
Armed with the power of attorney, Hill, according to the report, went on a $100,000 spending spree, plowing through the elderly woman’s life savings with reckless abandon: an account with more than $164,000 in it was reduced to less than $64,000. Then, to make matters worse, Hill allegedly racked up another $10,000 in debt– in the woman’s name.
According to Brenton, the elderly woman had two homes before she met Hill — the home where she currently resides, and a second home that was left to her by her family. Hill allegedly used the woman’s money and credit to purchase a third home which she put in both her and the elderly woman’ names. Sandra Lewis, a Notary Public whose seal and signature appear on the bottom of the document used to get that mortgage says she did not place them there, and that she had never seen the document before.
It is difficult to conceive of anyone knowingly and intentionally giving that kind of control over their money and property to someone they do not know. Elderly people are known to be particularly vulnerable, and are the frequent victims of scams, both online and personal, like here. The National Council on Aging reports that as many as 5 million elderly Americans are financially abused every year, accounting for an estimated $36.5 billion in losses. Add in the victimizer’s position as a government official and what you get is a recipe for a prison sentence.
Hill is also alleged to have treated herself to a few luxury items at the elderly woman’s expense, Brenton says. Hotel stays, dental surgery, clothing, and a face lift round out a list of egregious purchases said to have been made by Hill with the elderly woman’s funds.
Hill has not as of this writing been charged with any crime, and she is innocent until proven guilty. But that is entirely beside the point. Hill’s behavior in and of itself rises far above the “appearance of impropriety” threshold of accountability.
As the Appellate Court in the Wild case noted: “[T]he appearance rule serves a fundamental political purpose: the preservation of public confidence in government.”
Unfortunately, Hill’s ethical and moral improprieties, and their impact on public confidence in government, seem not to matter to her fellow city council members. As far as we know, none of them have as of yet called for her resignation. So much for political “leadership.”
Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office reportedly told the West Orlando News that “[e]lected officials are held accountable by those who elect them. The city does not have any authority to take disciplinary actions against an elected official.”
Nor, apparently, to say when enough is enough.
The Mayor is right about the voters– they have encouraged her by their support. But voters are by definition followers, not leaders. Maybe Orlando leadership– both the political and faith communities– should take a page from Dr. Seuss:
“The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just Go. Go. GO! I don’t care how. You can go by foot. You can go by cow. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now.” –from Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! by Dr. Seuss, 1971. Random House. 36 pages.
