By Jamie Kanter
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 8, 1997

Pedophilia shouldn't prevent a good election

Arizona Daily Wildcat Jamie Kanter

I suppose it freaked me out a little when the convicted sex offender moved into the neighborhood. I saw his mug shot on a small flier announcing his new residence near my apartment complex. I consider myself a pretty liberal, forgiving guy, but I still worried about the presence of such a shady character.

My interest was piqued, therefore, when I heard of an interview with Ron McClendon, a resident of the state of Colorado. Mr. McClendon is a convicted child molester, admittedly guilty of abusing his stepson. He spent eight years in jail as penance for his crime and he spent many hours in counseling sessions attempting to control his pedophilia. Now, he's doing something really controversial.

It seems that Mr. McClendon wants to run for a position on his local school board. Many folks aren't too pleased about a child molester's presence in a school environment. In fact, his opposition in the race has asked the Colorado governor to step in and eliminate him from the race. It seems only right that the child molester should not be allowed to run for an office that directly involves children, right?

Perhaps it's the forgiving euphoria of the Jewish holidays talking here, but I don't see why this guy should not run for a school board position. He has spent eight years in jail for his crime and he has combined his prison time with counseling. Fine, you may not want to let him baby-sit your kids or hang with your little brother, but it seems as if he has conquered his sickness.

He admits that he has occasional thoughts of pedophilia, but he claims that they are not overpowering. He has learned how to remove himself from difficult situations and how to control his urges. He simply does not seem a danger to children anymore. Even if he were, however, there is no reason to think that he would have the chance to molest again.

This position on the school board is an administrative one, not an educational one. Mr. McClendon, if elected to the office, would have little interaction with the students of his schools; instead, he would shuffle papers around a large bureaucratic desk. The guy simply would not be sitting in the back of classrooms checking out the crop of good-looking kids. He has work to do beyond molesting kids; that's just a hobby.

Besides, the school board members have no solitary contact with students. Even Mr. McClendon's opponents admit that. There is never a time when a member of the school board is left alone with a student or with a classroom. They tour the schools, meet the teachers and the students, but that's it. What is he going to do, abduct a child from under the teacher's nose and molest him? He just does not have the chance to molest. The most this guy will do is get turned on by some hot little number, go to the undersized restroom, and masturbate until his heart is content. Sure, it's not pretty, but he doesn't molest anyone (except himself, but I think that's still legal).

Speaking of legalities, it's not exactly kosher to deny a man his right to run for a public office if he is not legally restricted from doing so. The governor of Colorado should not be able to simply bend the laws to fit his moral stance about child molesters. If the guy can run for the office according to the current laws, it would be a travesty to take away that right. It violates the very foundations of our justice system to take away a someone's rights because we do not like him. Justice is blind, remember?

As with any election in any town, we cannot forget about one important factor: the voters. When it comes right down to it, they make the choice as to whether the child molester will get the job. If they are appalled by his actions or if they are sickened by his past, they will simply not vote for him. The governor needs not step in because the voters will make the choice of who is the best candidate.

And who in their right mind is going to vote for a child molester?

Jamie Kanter is a senior majoring in Spanish and psychology.