To the Editor:
I have been a professor for nearly a quarter of a century, and I have seen truly remarkable attempts at cheating from people who opted to be unethical rather than to do their own work. But I have never seen a novice politician cheat on their introductory statement until now.
In her first public remarks—her announcement to run for First Selectwoman of Lyme—Democratic-endorsed candidate Christy Zelek pledged: “I’m running for office because I love this town. My priorities will include keeping our town the beautiful, historic place it is.” (LymeLine, July 24)
This is straight, ugly plagiarism. And it’s not even a close call. Witness the evidence from Lyme Matters, the newsletter of the Lyme DTC:
- “He’s running because he loves Lyme and wants to help ensure it stays the beautiful gem of a town that it is.” (John Kiker, Fall 2017, page 2)
- “We know people love our town and want Lyme to stay the way it is – beautiful, historic and sparsely developed.” (John Kiker and Steven Mattson, Fall 2017, page 3)
- “They want Lyme to stay the beautiful, historic place that it is.” (John Kiker, Fall 2019, page 1)
- “Our candidates love Lyme, value the importance of open space and want our Town to stay the beautiful, historic place that it is.” (John Kiker, Fall 2021, page 1)
- “They want Lyme to stay the beautiful, historic place that it is.” (John Kiker, Fall 2021, page 3)
I think there are few things that should immediately disqualify a candidate to lead a town, but the absurdity of plagiarizing why they want to do so seems a reasonable cause for concern. If a candidate is willing to cheat on a statement of their own beliefs, what would they not cheat on?
The only defense Zelek could offer is to admit she’s simply the mouthpiece for DTC Chair and Second Selectman John Kiker, which then begs a very serious question of who would actually run the town. I hope local journalists and others concerned with the potential dishonesty of public officials investigate.
The problem is made even worse given that Zelek has no substantial governmental or business executive experience. By the DTC’s account, she deserves this important public trust and authority because she “has held leadership positions in parent-teacher groups at the high school, middle school and elementary school level and in the local Boy Scouts organization.”
As an educator, I shudder to think what a message someone who is willing to plagiarize in such a way conveys to young people. But it may help explain the crisis of cheating I see among students.
I write these lines as a lifelong Democrat who is profoundly concerned about the health of democratic society. As I have noted on other occasions, I believe it is essential that we hold elected officials in our own parties to the highest standards of accountability and honesty.
No one whose first act as a candidate is blatant cheating should be entrusted with public money, civic responsibilities, or the welfare of others. And for the sake of our children and their future, I hope that’s a message to which we can all agree, regardless of political party.
Sincerely,
Stephen Olbrys Gencarella, Ph.D.
Lyme, CT.
Editor’s Note: Commenting is now closed. Comments are closed 48 hours after publication of an article or letter.
Ugly plagiarism? As a former Selectman in Old Lyme, it seems to me that it is a basic requirement for local office to love one’s town and to say just that. I wish candidate Zelek all the best.
Dear Ms. Nosal,
The plagiarism in question is that Ms. Zelek lifted an entire statement without attribution, namely “I love this town … keeping our town the beautiful, historic place it is.” And you obviously know that.
It is true that anyone can say, “I love Walt Whitman.” But if someone said, “Whitman was the brother I did not have, who shone on in the twilight of my room” without attributing it to the poet Mary Oliver (1995), they committed plagiarism. And again, obviously, you know that.
The fact that Ms. Zelek decided to plagiarize John Kiker in her introduction to voters raises a host of additional questions about the nature of her campaign and her readiness for leadership.
You and I are both Democrats, Ms. Nosal. Should we not want honest people to lead our towns?
Sincerely, Stephen
Wow! Stephen, maybe you should run for office. You could say all the right things.