Anyone else holding their nose as tightly as I am over the reported FBI investigation into the donations that Fort Smith businessman Michael Morton made to Circuit Judge Michael Maggio through political action committees largely supported by Morton?
Maggio, who once upon a time was seeking to join the state's appeals court, contends he did nothing wrong or inappropriate by accepting thousands of dollars in campaign checks, dated July 8, from those PACs. That happened to be the very day Maggio was hearing a plea to reduce the $5.2 million judgment against Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, one of Morton's 32 nursing homes, over an elderly resident's death.
Just three days after receiving those PAC contributions and his hearing, Maggio reduced the award against the Greenbrier center to $1 million.
I'm sorta at a loss for words to even offer a salient comment on any coincidence surrounding that scenario. No matter, though. The stench of such circumstances reeks loud enough for all to smell. More nursing-home PAC contributions to Maggio also followed, news accounts say.
For no lesser an agency than the FBI to apparently now be involved (it neither confirmed or denied it) means that smoke likely is coming from a fire. Count me as profoundly surprised if their purported investigation doesn't bear significant results.
The case in which Maggio reduced the jury's finding involved the 2008 death of 76-year-old nursing-home resident Martha Bull from Perryville, whom staff failed to properly transfer to the hospital despite a doctor's orders.
This seems a good spot to insert the disclaiming message that Maggio and Morton have not been charged with a crime and neither contends they did anything illegal or wrong.
Meanwhile, we all know that other than children, our society's weakest are the elderly infirm, such as the late Ms. Bull, who find themselves confined at the mercy of those who operate these "care" homes.
As Martha Deaver of Conway, who leads Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents, puts it: "The buck literally stops with the owners of these nursing homes. Owners receive millions each year in tax dollars to fulfill every aspect of running their facility. The sad truth is that between 2010 and today, state survey inspections of some 234 nursing homes have reported finding about 9,000 violations cited for harm or the potential for death to their residents."
She and her crusading organization are appalled by the role that money today plays in perverting our nursing-home, governmental and justice systems. The horrific case of Martha Bull and the role campaign contributions appear to have played in the disgusting way things played out in Maggio's courtroom last summer provide a clear example of that point.
Maggio, who wisely withdrew from his appeals court race, also thankfully was relieved of his judicial responsibilities in the 20th Judicial District after posting various online messages that the Supreme Court found inappropriate for one in his position.
This muck appears to pile even deeper. News accounts say investigations and an audit continue into the potential role Morton and the PAC money he influences may have played in former state Sen. Gilbert Baker's former consulting company linked to Morton's support for Maggio.
Gilbert resigned as executive assistant to the president at the University of Central Arkansas a couple of months back. His job performance for that institution had since been under the scrutiny of auditors.
Then, also according to ace reporter Debra Hale-Shelton, there are at least three people listed on the filing papers of PACs who say they didn't even know they had been.
This greedy creature I like to call Arkansas' PACman Monster appears to send out slimy tentacles in many directions.
"This kind of thing to us says a nursing-home resident's life is worthless. They put money over the well-being of our most frail and vulnerable citizens. Too many people have no empathy for their suffering. To understand that means I'd have to think like them. Thank God I don't, " said Deaver. "Our organization and many others will be watching with great interest to see how this story and investigation plays out. Justice must prevail."
Rest assured I'll also be watching to see just how deep and wide these nursing-home PACs' influences spread. And I mean not only into our courts, but across our state's governmental processes including the political campaigns that help get legislators elected who can promote and ensure their agendas.
Although I haven't dug deeply into the legislative campaign contributions, it would be revealing indeed to see which legislative candidates received the most money from nursing-home PACs that those such as Morton fund.
Keep collecting trash
Fellow columnist and friend Bryan Hendricks says the National Park Service in Arkansas is preparing to stop collecting trash left by visitors to our national parks. No joke!
That's a terrible decision that will ensure our treasured parks invariably will become littered with garbage tossed by the uncaring who come, make messes then drive away.
Please, National Park Service, find another place to cut expenses and keep our parks clean. That's a legitimately critical need and, by necessity, should be a critical part of your mission as a public agency.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected]. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.
Editorial on 06/01/2014