SOMETHING TO PONDER

After reading the article on Judge Gilbert and the Antrim County Board of
Commissioners' vote for resignation in the Dec. 13 Record-Eagle, other
questions came to mind. Judge Gilbert admitted the use of illegal controlled
substances, plus there were eyewitness accounts of the admitted abuse; this
was also confessed by Judge Gilbert to two of our judges who are in good
standing. A simple question to ponder is why weren't charges filed for the
admitted and confessed abuse?

Also in the Dec. 13 article, Mr. Schuiteman asked Mr. McLeod if he would
call for a resignation if a judge lost control of a vehicle and struck a
pedestrian. The response from Mr. McLeod was, "If he was drunk, you bet." My
understanding from the reported news is that Judge Gilbert's indiscretion
the night of the concert was a result of an admitted alcohol problem for
which he has received treatment.

The night of the concert the general public has been led to believe that
Judge Gilbert had been drinking, which led to his impairment and subsequent
indiscretion. How did he get to and from the concert venue? Was he driving?
Were there other laws broken? I personally wish Judge Gilbert and his family
the best in his recovery process, and am not intending to create a worse
situation for him. These questions are posed about the system and how it
deals with its own. I would think that others in the community have wondered
about the same questions; it's something to ponder.

Tom Hess

Traverse City