Sharpe James in Bad Company with Other Corrupt Mayors

Oftentimes, politics and corruption go hand in hand. Many cities have been affected by a mayor who has allowed power to go to his head. Right now, New Jersey is feeling shockwaves because the former mayor of Newark, Sharpe James, was just convicted of fraud. James was found guilty of manipulating the government approval process in order to get his former girlfriend deals on city property. In return, his girlfriend sold the property and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit. James faces from four to seven years for his crime.

Sharpe James is far from the only mayor to find himself on the wrong side of the law. Bridgeport, Connecticut mayor Joseph P. Ganim will be sentenced on July 1 for 16 charges of corruption. Ganim could be sentenced for up to 126 years in prison for crimes that consist of racketeering, extortion, bribery and mail fraud. Ganim and his associates were involved in a scheme that involved taking bribes from city contractors that were bidding for business. Bribes would have to be received in order for the contractor's bid to be considered. Ganim not only made money off of this scheme, but he also received clothing, wine, and home renovations. It proved to be a lucrative scheme for Ganim, until he got caught and found guilty. Authorities had been suspicious of him for some time, and they were finally able to gather enough evidence against him to convict him.

Former mayor of Carneys Point, New Jersey, John M. Lake, found himself in a bit of trouble when he was caught bribing a political opponent. Lake was worried that Anthony Rullo was going to beat him in the 2006 election for mayor, so he decided to offer Rullo something that few could give him. Lake told Rullo that he would give him a job with the township if he would just drop out of the race. Wisely, Rullo did not accept the bribe. He stayed in the race, won, and told about Lake's attempted bribe. Lake was convicted of the crime and sentenced to three years in prison. The attorney general's office feels that a three year sentence is too short, and think a seven year sentence is better deserved. They are considering appealing the sentence.

Fairbanks, Alaska, is the setting of the next mayoral crime. Mayor Jim Hayes was known as a man who wanted to help the poverty stricken residents of Alaska. He appeared to be a man with truly good intentions, as he worked to get funding to help low income youth. What authorities did not initially realize, though, was that he wanted federal grants for those programs for a reason that was not related to helping children. Hayes wanted that money to line his pockets. The federal government earmarked $2.9 for a tutoring service for low income youth that just so happened to be run by Hayes' wife. Hayes then took more than $450,000 of that money for his own personal use. Some of the money was used to build a new church. It was not just any church. In fact, Hayes was the pastor of that church. He kept some of the money to buy a plasma screen television set, while still more of it went to pay personal bills and to pay for a family wedding. It is apparent that he cared deeply for the poverty stricken youth.

All of these mayors have something in common. While the mayors' crimes may have been different, they all had one common denominator. Power and greed prevailed over logical thinking. Power can be the biggest corruptor of all. The men thought they were in a situation where they could get away with their actions, and they gave into their greed.

Jeff Whelan and John P. Martin, "Newark Ex-Mayor Sharpe James Convicted of Fraud," The Star Ledger

Paul Von Zielbauer, "Bridgeport Mayor Convicted on 16 Charges of Corruption," New York Times

Associated Press, "South NJ Mayor Sentenced for Bribing Rival," AP News

Associated Press, "Fairbanks Ex-Mayor Convicted," Anchorage Daily News