Editorial: Allow non-violent offenders to hold office

Corry J. Sanders fit the bill of an outstanding candidate for McKeesport councilman — a family man with four kids, an owner of a neighborhood barbershop and a deacon at a Pittsburgh church.

But, after winning a seat on the McKeesport City Council, assistant district attorney Kevin McCarthy informed Sanders that he was “constitutionally ineligible to hold public office” after a citizen’s complaint prompted a review of Sanders’ status. In his record, investigators discovered a federal drug charge for which Sanders served four years in prison in 1993 as well as $36,151.50 of unpaid fines from his criminal case.

Now 45 years old and with an otherwise clean record filled with community service and good samaritanship, Sanders must receive the governor’s pardon to hold public office.

As the constituents who elect public officials to represent our interests, we shouldn’t require such bureaucratic measures. Sanders already proved himself to the community, and after he straightens out his fines, that should be enough.

Outside of Sander’s situation, we shouldn’t deter non-violent offenders from moving past their mistakes and representing those in their community in a positive manner. It’s the responsibility of the citizens to elect whomever they deem capable of progressing their community. Within reason, the government should limit who can run for office, but it is detrimental to society to block people solely on the basis of a decades-old prison sentence.

Convicts of rape, murder, arson and more nefarious crimes shouldn’t represent us, but as we understand the drug conversation in a more nuanced light, someone like Sanders could help us confront a national addiction problems. Additionally, people with DUIs can and do serve on council, and Sanders should be able to have the same opportunity.

In a time where Americans feel their politicians are out of touch, political candidates who are former convicts can also give a voice to marginalized citizens in a sheltered system. Our government should reflect reality and society. Everyone doesn’t have a perfect record even if they’ve been on the right track for most of their life.

And Sanders is an example of our prison system succeeding at its role — punishing people for their illegal actions and deterring them from repeated offenses. After his prison sentence ended, Sanders became a role model to the younger generation of kids in the McKeesport community — mentoring young men to keep them out of trouble. He reclaimed his life after his sentence, and as a public official, he can positively influence those in his community who may have experienced prison and feel there is no possibility of redemption.

Having a member of city council who has experienced prison can also spark a prison reform movement locally, particularly in Pittsburgh where community tensions are still high after the recent deaths of multiple inmates. Politicians who have experienced jail could also help eradicate the stigma that surrounds convicts and can bring about legislation that allows convicts to reclaim their lives after prison.

Often times, those who run for local offices may not have experience with the community. Sanders, however, is a product of McKeesport and represents his constituency as a culmination of its interests and backgrounds — an indispensable feature in a representative.

As voters, we must be able to elect whomever we feel has our interests at heart and not allow for past offenses to obstruct our ability to elect our representatives.