Other than being a major political "blunder," Dr. G. Terry Madonna doesn't interpret Northumberland County Commissioner Frank Sawicki's phone message to constitute corruption, especially not on the level that Pennsylvania has seen in recent years.
Madonna, director of public affairs at Franklin & Marshall College and co-author of the Politically Uncorrected column that appears in The News-Item and other newspapers, was asked to weigh in on Sawicki's message from Dec. 14, which was revealed Thursday by fellow Commissioner Vinny Clausi.
Madonna, who was traveling and not able to read the 175-word transcript, was told that Sawicki twice in the message says "we're going to buy the building" despite opposition from Clausi.
For politicians to talk with folks who have an interest in county matters, be it property or otherwise, is nothing unusual, Madonna said. And while Sawicki suggests he can manipulate the situation to make the purchase happen, that doesn't make it a crime, he said.
"It sounds to me more of a political embarrassment than anything illegal or unethical," Madonna said.
By "contemporary standards" of Pennsylvania's ethical landscape - from jailed legislators to the "Kids for Cash" case involving judges in Luzerne County - this pales in comparison, Madonna said.
However, he added, such cases "reinforce what people think about what goes on in the courthouses" and other government buildings through the state.