Editorial: If he cares about Richland County, Kelvin Washington will resign

YOU WOULD THINK an elected official who recently admitted in court that he didn’t pay his state income taxes would do all he could to stay out of trouble.

You would hope such a person would be so embarrassed by his transgression and so determined to win back or maintain the public’s trust that he would obsessively avoid the risk of being accused of another crime.

But Richland County Councilman Kelvin Washington apparently doesn’t think that way. Mr. Washington, who pleaded guilty Feb. 10 to misdemeanor charges of not filing state income tax returns, was charged with felony DUI after his car crashed into another vehicle Saturday night.

Mr. Washington told law enforcement he had just one beer at a friend’s house on Broad River Road before the crash, according to authorities. Yet, despite saying he had just one beer, Mr. Washington refused to provide a blood sample until authorities obtained a search warrant, according to an incident report. Results of the test have not been released.

Like all defendants, Mr. Washington is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. He deserves his day in court.

We would be surprised if one beer resulted in a felony DUI charge. But given the public’s erosion of confidence after his guilty plea last month, why would Mr. Washington consume any alcoholic beverages before driving? Why take that risk?

If Mr. Washington was driving under the influence Saturday night, his accident reminds us once again how dangerous that can be. Authorities say Mr. Washington drove into the back of a car at Bluff Road and MLK Boulevard when the other driver slowed down to turn left.

Authorities said there were no skid marks on the road leading to the crash site.

The 22-year-old driver of the other car suffered a severe head injury and underwent surgery, according to a report. A passenger in that car suffered minor injuries.

After Mr. Washington’s guilty plea and felony DUI charge, the public has no reason to trust his judgment and his ability to lead the county. Public confidence was already shaken after Mr. Washington, a self-employed engineering consultant with an electrical engineering degree from S.C. State University, said he lost track of paying his income taxes. He blamed the combination of the minutiae of life and his transition from one job to another.

All of us must deal with the minutiae of life. Most of us at one point in our careers transition from one job to another. But nearly all of us remember to pay our taxes.

Most of us understand the dangers of driving under the influence, and that makes most of us obsessive about avoiding the risk.

Our public leaders should match that behavior.

Richland County Council faces many challenges. They include providing the basics such as emergency medical treatment and land-use planning as well as deciding how much funding to give the Sheriff’s Department and local school districts.

The current council has the added burden of leading the county’s recovery from the October floods. It also has been under a cloud of suspicion since the state Department of Revenue in December questioned how the county spent money raised by the transportation penny sales tax.

The Department of Revenue said an audit uncovered potential public corruption and fraud in the program. County officials have disputed the report, and they have sent multiple letters to the department defending the program.

Even if county officials prove the agency wrong, the allegations have many taxpayers wondering if the $1.07-billion, 22-year program they approved in 2012 is a boondoggle. The county faces the daunting task of convincing the public that the program isn’t.

Mr. Washington’s legal troubles make that task much harder because his diminished credibility hurts the entire council.

On Wednesday, Gov. Nikki Haley called on Mr. Washington and Solicitor Donnie Myers of Lexington County to resign because of their recent DUI charges. Mr. Myers was arrested Feb. 22 after his car left a Lexington County road and hit a utility pole. It’s his third alcohol-related charge in just less than 11 years.

If Mr. Washington cares about what’s best for the county, its government and the people, he will follow Gov. Haley’s advice. People must have confidence in their public officials. We doubt many residents now have confidence in him as a public leader.

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Editorial: If he cares about Richland County, Kelvin Washington will resign."