Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers was one of 200 sheriffs from across the country to attend a White House conference and briefing on “Secure Borders and Safe Communities” from Sept. 24-26 in Washington.
Myers said his main purpose for attending was to talk about drug enforcement — an important issue in Bartholomew County and communities nationwide — and how proper border and port security is needed in that regard.
It’s understandable why Myers and other sheriffs would want to attend the conference.
However, the organization that paid for Myers’ trip and the trips of six other Indiana sheriffs has been the source of concern. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) paid about $1,100 for Myers’ trip.
FAIR is considered to be a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose definition of a hate group mirrors the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s definition of a hate crime. FAIR also has been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League for its for views considered to be pro-white and anti-immigrant.
Myers said he did not know of such criticism of FAIR, and said he wouldn’t belong to a hate group. And, we have no reason so believe Myers has any intention of supporting what appears to be FAIR’s larger agenda — one with which Myers and likely most of his 200 counterparts are not familiar.
A seemingly innocuous offer to learn more about the very real issue of illegals drugs coming into the county — something the sheriff deals with every day — has the appearance of the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Myers said later that he “made a mistake” and “I didn’t know this is sort of a hate group,” and that he would be repaying FAIR the cost of the trip. We commend him for doing so.
What the situation illustrates is how people in elected office need to be careful about from whom they accept money or trips. Just as candidates for office have to be careful about donations they accept. Occasionally we see a politician or other leader confronted with a photo from their past that purports to lend that individual’s support to a cause they never intended to support. Acceptance of money or trips can be perceived as approval of a person or organization — regardless of whether that’s actually true. That’s a significant consideration when elected officials represent and serve a wide group of people.
Elected officials are held to a high standard because they represent all the people they serve. For that reason, residents want to be aware if their elected officials have ties to questionable people or organizations. That puts the impetus on elected officials to make sure they know with whom they are associating. Failure to do so can be problematic.
