LETTER TO THE EDITOR -- Hank Adler

I read in Friday’s Pilot that Wendy Leece believes that Jim Ferryman

should resign from the school board if he is convicted of drunk driving

(“Trustee: Ferryman should resign if guilty”).

I do not believe that I have met Ferryman and have no idea whether he

is a good school board member or not and no idea whether he and Leece

agree on anything or everything.

I do know that I used to be a member of the Irvine school board and

that events like this and comments like those of Wendy Leece keep good

people from running for office.

One of the costs of holding office is that if you make the same

unfortunate mistake as someone else, you can read about it on the front

page of the paper instead of Page 46 or nowhere at all.

Anyone that holds public office takes that risk.

But golly, let the punishment fit the crime. The courts will impose a

penalty and Ferryman will take his medicine. He has already gotten the

additional punishment of severe public embarrassment; this is likely far

worse than what the courts can or will provide.

Drunk driving is a serious offense and cannot be taken lightly. At the

same time, Ferryman is a human being and human beings make mistakes.

Let’s be thankful no one was hurt, and let’s hope and pray that Ferryman

learns his lesson and thank him for his service to the community.

HANK ADLER

Irvine