The Mayor of Toronto has found himself in difficulty over the past few months having been found in conflict with rules concerning fund raising and the use of his office’s influence. The courts have been ruling on this for some time and now the case moves to the Supreme Court. For the time being however the Mayor is allowed to remain in office.
Whether the Mayor should or shouldn’t be allowed to stay in office is not in my mind to state. What caught my attention was tonight’s news. Not that the news always tends to be fair or impartial. But I listened to some of his political supporters and detractors. And I was struck by one thing. I believe that the Mayor has indeed been put in a position to really learn a significant lesson about leadership and accountability.
As Jason points out in his blog, the Mayor’s interest and support of young people through football is to be applauded and admired. Now to see if he is willing to see that this kind of dedication to people can be demonstrated in the way in which he operates in office. It is not acceptable for the Mayor to be willing to flaunt the law whether driving and texting on his smart phone or using his office to support a private interest.
If the Mayor is truly sorry and has learned a valuable lesson as he indicates then he may yet win the hearts and minds of those of us who have been disappointed in his behaviour over the past year.
It is a truth that we are all changing and we should never believe that others will never change.
As the Scripture encourages we must pray for those who serve in government and provide leadership. Here’s what Romans 13:1-6 says (taken from The Message)
