To the editor:

Let me see if I’ve understood this correctly (Journal-World story on July 18).

Chris Gallaway accumulated $18,000 in unpaid parking tickets, wrote ten bad checks in the last four years, didn’t pay his credit card bill until after he was sued, and neglected to show up for court appearances but nonetheless is qualified to be executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party? The businesses that have taken him to court, and the judicial officials who have garnisheed his wages time and again, might not agree. I certainly don’t.

Just when should we Democrats expect Gallaway to grow out of being “young and stupid” (his own words)? Tom Sawyer, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, calls Gallaway’s financial behavior “a personal issue” that “doesn’t reflect on his ability to do party work.” Again, I beg to differ.

With the former’s attitude toward what constitutes responsible, ethical behavior, and the latter’s apparent inability to assess character, I think the Democratic Party in Kansas is charging headlong into a dangerous wilderness. It is high time to get your moral compasses checked, gentlemen!

Paul Rehak,

Lawrence