Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Is Something Wrong with the System?

3rd times the charm? This is the mayor of Astoria, Oregon and my home town, Willis Van Dusen. He has been in office for 16 years and is seeking a 5th term in November. I have known the family my whole life, and grew up with his nephew, Trent, as my best friend.
Monday he was arrested after he collided his Harley Davidson into the side of a truck and was charged with DUII (Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants). It is not a good political move to get a DUII when you're in office, but for some reason, Van Dusen seems to buck the trend. This is his 3rd, yes that's right, third DUII arrest since 1989, all while he was in office. Yet the voting citizens of Astoria keep voting him back into office regardless of the example he is setting as a citizen, president of a major local business (Pepsi Distributor), and a parent.
Van Dusen is a nice guy, but you know what, he needs help. I work in Astoria, but do not live there so I will not be able to cast my vote, but I think the only way he will get help is for him to be voted out of office. Maybe then he might realize how much damage he has done, and seek help for his alcoholism.
There is nothing wrong with having a drink, or many drinks, as long as you do it safely. Getting behind the wheel of a car when you have been drinking is ludicrous and irresponsible. My aunt was killed at the age of 19 by a drunk driver. One of my friends and coworkers was sentenced to 5 years in prison for killing a girl while driving drunk. I also had a former boss who had a problem with alcohol and was charged with DUII, and is no longer with Safeway for that reason. Fortunately for Van Dusen, no one has been hurt, when he chose to drive under the influence. When does it become necessary for the public to take action, or for that matter Pepsi Inc. for his indescretions? No one is perfect, myself included, and maybe I would or wouldn't feel different if it was his first arrest. But we have to ask ourselves when is enough, enough?

2 comments:

Big D Sims said...

Update 9/14:
VanDusen checked himself into the Betty Ford Rehab Clinic in Arizona a couple days ago, and will be in rehab for the next 4-6 weeks. He also wrote a letter in the paper apologizing to the community and his family and friends.

Anonymous said...

Can you really say your surprised? I like Willis too but the reason he keeps getting re-elected is because he will never take a hard stance on drunken driving and frankly I've never heard of a place with as much drunken drving as Astoria.