The O’Toole Chronicles: Seeing Ghosts

The uneven bars of politics and life are often unforgiving, but we approach every day trying to improve upon our craft.  The question is how do we make it easier to navigate through the difficulty of it all and finally perfect this art?

A helpful hint to those future political gymnasts: stop seeing ghosts.

Let’s get some perspective.

Over 20 years ago, there was an intense manhunt in Passaic and Essex Counties to capture and jail elected officials who colluded with a national corrupt and powerful contractor. They evidently violated federal and state laws to enrich themselves.

I remember the feds swept through Essex County on a once quiet April morning and they “interviewed” a dozen employees and colleagues of one targeted politician. Since I wasn’t one of the gifted ones to be invited to that coffee klatch, I can’t offer you first-hand knowledge of the conversations, but after consultations with some of the participants, I did get a sense of the conversations. On the day in question, I received a fair number of phone calls from several distressed witnesses and they asked for advice, about retaining lawyers, and help with crisis management. At that moment, I gave what I thought was fairly rationale and unemotional advice.

Perhaps more surprising on that hectic day, the very target of the investigation called me with his lawyers on the phone and asked if I knew anything, I offered that I didn’t. The call ended when the target asked if I was behind the investigation – ahh he was seeing ghosts and that wasn’t a good place for him to be.

After a long investigation, and after being asked (accused) of being the impetus behind the successful prosecution, the defendant, after receiving the transcripts from the extended grand jury, told me that he was finally convinced that I wasn’t behind the investigation or his arrest. I resisted the urge to say: “I told you so.”

Recently I took a call from a dear friend in the state Senate, he was seeking some advice regarding a local instigator and a fellow legislator who were blaming him for so called political conspiracies that have cropped up recently.

I had related my ghost story to this Senator a while ago and he called last week to say he finally understands the seeing ghosts concept.

Memo to the minor leaguers — Life is hard enough. You are better served if you stopped seeing ghosts of the past, ghosts of the present, or ghosts that take the shape or form of so called enemies or rivals. The craft that we practice is so much better served when we deal with what is before us and not complicate an already difficult sport by conjuring up spirits and conspiracies that don’t even exist.