Plainwell, a small city (pop. 3,900) in southwestern Michigan, has a new claim
to fame. News of a sex scandal involving the area's representative in the state
legislature has spread to the major television networks, been mocked on
late-night comedy shows, and circulated to all manner of media by the Associated Press. Reuters is
carrying the story, so it may even have reached foreign shores.
I was much more content when Plainwell's claims to fame were servings of great treats at the Plainwell Ice Cream Company and a history
of papermaking at a giant mill now mostly decomposing in the center of town after
shutting down about 15 years ago.
My inclination has been to let the scandal play out without
comment here. Several investigations are under way to determine if laws as well as moral principles have been violated. However, a few folks have
poked fun in my direction because of the situation. A couple of things need clarification.
It is true that Cindy Gamrat, the female partner in the
sordid affair, is a neighbor. News stories correctly identify her as "R-Plainwell,"
and we both have Plainwell mailing addresses. We actually live about 5 miles east
of town in a community of some 450 families. Although Gamrat resides on the edge
of my neighborhood, we have never met.
My silence regarding the now infamous representative should
not be construed as support. Usually, I consider voting a very private matter, but I'll make a small exception in this case. I have never
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| Courser and Gamrat need to resign. |
Gamrat moved to our neighborhood from Indiana about four years ago. She became the
founder and leader of the Plainwell Patriots Tea Party. She and another
first-term legislator, Todd Courser, upon arriving in Lansing took the unusual step of sharing office space and staffs. They now
admit to sharing a lot more.
So what? Sexual
transgressions involving politicians, some of them prominent (Bill Clinton
comes to mind), seem so routine that news of another one usually gets ho-hum
reactions.
One respected local newspaper columnist addressed the
question by producing statistics indicating affairs involving female
legislators are much less common than those of males. The counter argument that
there are many more men than women holding office doesn't hold up. Correcting
for that, it appears to be a fact that far fewer women politicos than men go
astray, or at least fewer get caught.. That truth helps make the Gamrat-Courser affair unusual, and that makes
it newsy.
More unusual is Courser's bizarre attempt to create a cover
story. One of his staff recorded Courser discussing the whole thing. The tape
was given to the Detroit Free Press, which broke the story. Courser arranged to have an e-mail sent to Republican leaders in Lansing
stating that he was an habitual drug user who had been caught having sex with a male
prostitute. That was supposed to create such a sensation that revelations about
the Gamrat-Courser affair would be dismissed or discounted.
Another major factor in turning a minor Michigan affair into national news is that
the participants are outspoken social conservatives who do not hesitate to
bring up their dedication to "family values" and hurl God bombs
around at will. Both are married. Gamrat has three children (she home schooled them), Courser has four children.
Courser has said he won't resign because God hasn't told him to do so.
There are many other strange quirks to this story, including
Gamrat being thrown out of the Republican caucus for breaking its rules. If you
like to delve into political-sexual intrigue, do a computer search and you'll
find all sorts of interesting stuff.
If you study the matter, you probably won't wind up
feeling sorry for Gamrat or Courser, only their families. They clearly have not
been star-crossed lovers caring intensely only for each other. In one of his
cover-up statements, Courser called Gamrat "a tramp." Gamrat stood
beside her husband while making a tearful public confession about the affair, and never
mentioned Courser by name.
Six of seven top Republican leaders in our county have
called for Gamrat's resignation. Michigan Tea Party leaders have demanded that
both Gamrat and Courser resign. The Mayor of Plainwell said Gamrat has made a
mockery of her role in government, and "needs to go away." I agree.
(On Sept. 10, Courser resigned from the Michigan House of representatives while votes were being taken on expelling him. A short time later, the House voted to expel Gamrat. Both decided to run in Nov. 3 special elections to fill their seats, stating "let the voters decide." The voters did. Gamrat finished third with less that 10 percent of the vote; Courser did even worse finishing behind a bevy of opponents with about 3 percent of the vote )
(On Sept. 10, Courser resigned from the Michigan House of representatives while votes were being taken on expelling him. A short time later, the House voted to expel Gamrat. Both decided to run in Nov. 3 special elections to fill their seats, stating "let the voters decide." The voters did. Gamrat finished third with less that 10 percent of the vote; Courser did even worse finishing behind a bevy of opponents with about 3 percent of the vote )
