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In This Corner - Robert Slager

The truth is a matter of time now

It’s pretty safe to say the library scandal that has gripped Wareham the past two months is about to get a whole lot bigger.

As most of you know by now, investigators from the Inspector General’s office seized documents from the Wareham Free Library on Monday. According to Town Administrator Mark Andrews, the IG is now looking at alleged corruption within multiple town departments in Wareham.

This is huge news, even if the Courier and the Standard-Times insist on sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring it. The Inspector General would not have sent its top investigators to Wareham without a good reason. These people are former federal agents with broad investigative power. They are, essentially, the internal affairs unit for all branches of government within the Commonwealth. For these people to concern themselves with a town as relatively small as Wareham means they smell serious smoke and are now pursuing the fire. These are very busy people. They didn’t come to Wareham to waste their time.

Over the past two days I have been inundated with questions from readers who want to know what this all means. They want to know what the IG is investigating and how long it will take to find the truth.

I have a pretty good idea what they are looking for, although I suspect they know even more than I do about the extent of corruption in Wareham. I found it very telling that Andrews said the investigators aren’t just focused on the library. When all this is over it could blow the roof clean off this town.

The investigators will not share an ounce of information with anyone outside of their department. But it doesn’t take a genius to assume they came to the library on Monday looking for evidence in support of the stories published in the Wareham Observer. It has already been reported that Municipal Maintenance has caught the interest of investigators as well. Beyond that, I am not certain what else they are looking into. I have a strong suspicion but I will not print anything that could compromise their investigation.

Readers want to know how long this will take. Again, the investigators will never publicly reveal their time-table. I suspect they will be absolutely thorough before any criminal charges are filed. A lot will depend on what evidence exists and what has been destroyed. Many documents at the library have mysteriously disappeared over the past few years. Investigators won’t get much cooperation from certain members of library support groups, who apparently think they can hide their financial records forever. These people will soon discover they are mistaken.

One way to expedite this investigation would be for anyone who has pertinent information to contact the Inspector General’s office. The office has established a confidential toll-free hotline number at 1-(800)-322-1323.

I will reveal one vital piece of information. At least one of the anonymous sources used by the Observer has spoken to the state investigators. The source confirmed that this conversation took place prior to Monday. I urge others to show that kind of courage as well. I understand that people are scared. We have all seen the way the power elite tries to destroy the lives of those who stand up to them. Nobody knows that better than me. But there is a greater concern here. There is an undeniable obligation for those who truly care about Wareham to step forward and tell the truth.

This isn’t about hurting people. It’s about healing this community. The only way to do that is to finally drag all the ugliness from the darkness to the light. Then it will finally wither away and die.

I am so proud of the people who have brought Wareham to this point. It wasn’t easy. There was so much opposition, and much of it was so vicious. But there is nothing the bad guys can do to stop this investigation now. They can keep trying to put the Observer out of business. They can keep trying to put puppet selectmen into office. It doesn’t matter anymore. They are too late.

Yes, I have spoken to law enforcement officials as well. Despite the ridiculous claims of the haters in Wareham that I wouldn’t take that step, I felt my obligation as a citizen of the Commonwealth superseded my autonomy as a journalist. It wasn’t an easy decision. In fact it was the most difficult one I have faced in my career. But when it became apparent to me that the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office was more interested in covering up this scandal than investigating it, I did what I believed was the moral thing to do. In the end nothing is more important than the truth.

I did not, however, reveal the names of any of my sources. I will never break my vow to protect these brave people. All I ask in return is for these people to step forward now and do the right thing. The bad guys want to stretch the clock out as long as possible. If you think things are ugly now just wait to see what will happen over the next few months if the investigation moves more slowly than it should.
There are a thousand reasons not to get more deeply involved. There is only one reason to step forward.

That reason is the truth. It’s what separates the good guys from the bad ones. It’s what will finally set you, and this wonderful community, free.

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In This Corner - Robert Slager - 23 opinions posted