Restoring Trust in Northeastern Pennsylvania's Public Institutions
Democracy is a fragile thing. Every year, when we go to the polls for local, state, and federal elections, we participate in a process that relies on the public’s trust and investment in governmental institutions. In the U.S., however, public trust in government has been near historic lows for more than a decade. In a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, only about 20% of Americans agreed that they “trust the federal government to do what is right just about always/most of the time.” In March 2021, another Pew survey found that 67% of Americans agreed with the statement that “most politicians are corrupt.”
Amid the steady decline of public trust in the federal government, state and local governments are more insulated from criticism. Americans consistently trust their daily interactions with state and local governments, as opposed to a federal government that often feels distant and abstract. In recent years, however, even our trust in state and local institutions began to decline.
Trust in state and local government is rooted in our day-to-day experiences. Are our concerns being heard and addressed? Can we obtain goods and resources readily? And, most important, do public officials demonstrate that they can be trusted? According to political scientists at Kenyon College and Middle Tennessee State University, trust in public officials may be linked to economic development, political participation, and effective government. Corruption among public officials weakens government at any level by discouraging active participation and by drawing resources and attention away from solving public problems. The wounds that corruption creates in an electorate are deep.
In northeastern Pennsylvania, residents are no strangers to these wounds. In October 2020, for example, former Scranton mayor William Courtright was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for public corruption. Courtright was caught accepting cash payments from vendors working with the city. In 2016, then-state attorney general Kathleen Kane, a Scranton native, was convicted on nine charges that included perjury and leaking grand jury information to damage a political adversary. And in 2011, two Lackawanna County commissioners, Bob Cordaro and Anthony Munchak, were found guilty of accepting bribes.
Northeastern Pennsylvania’s history of public corruption spans decades. In 2008, Luzerne County Common Pleas judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella were convicted of accepting money in return for imposing harsh adjudications on juveniles to increase occupancy at for-profit detention centers –the infamous “Kids for Cash” scandal. In 1995, Ernie Preate, another former attorney general and Lackawanna County district attorney, was charged with federal racketeering and corruption. He served 14 months in federal prison. And in the 1980s, the Pennsylvania Crime Commission reported “widespread racketeering and corruption” throughout the region. From courthouses to school districts, examples of corruption and unethical behavior among public officials in northeastern Pennsylvania are plentiful.
Such a voluminous history of political corruption is not easy to address. Political scientists find that the resulting lack of trust in government makes it hard for more ethical officials to mobilize the public to support anti-corruption initiatives. Moreover, communities with a history of corruption often resign themselves to such behavior by public officials. Their attitude: “That’s the way it’s always been.”
This was the response of some northeastern Pennsylvania residents when the University of Scranton launched its Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS) last year. Comments sections of news stories covering the center’s launch were skeptical, with one commenter facetiously wondering if the Center had launched on April Fool’s Day. Given the history, such skepticism is well earned.
But a legacy of corruption isn’t a death sentence for effective and ethical governance. Tools, policies, and advocacy efforts exist that can transform government and public expectations of it. CEEPS, of which I am co-director, is a nonpartisan organization, dedicated to creating and maintaining good government for all residents in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The center will offer training and education to students, community members, and public officials, providing local governments the resources they need to better serve their communities and providing the public with the information to hold government officials accountable.
This spring, the center, along with the Lackawanna League of Women Voters, will host Ready to Run – a day-long seminar and training session for local women interested in running for office. The center will also host its inaugural Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, with panels on how state and local officials should claim and spend daily allowances that are often in addition to their salaries; the role of local ethics boards and codes in fighting corruption; and how to find and pursue grants to improve our communities. The center hopes to increase engagement in local politics by helping the community understand public officials’ responsibilities and how to advocate for desired changes. Its vision of good and ethical government is an ambitious one, but worthwhile for the resilient communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
While norms of corruption and distrust in government are not easy to change, it’s our responsibility as citizens in a democracy to try. We do this through the ballot box, and we do it by investing our resources in promoting positive change. Our neighbors, our families, and our democracy are worth the effort.
JoyAnna S. Hopper, Ph.D. is assistant professor of political science at the University of Scranton and co-director of the university’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service.
