Last summer, I participated in a one-day community discussion facilitated by a local institution and including folks from all over the county. One of my fellow participants was a former politician of a fast-growing Wake County municipality.
As we were chatting about some subject (I don’t remember which), he nonchalantly mentioned how, while he was serving, he had learned of development plans for an area of town and had promptly bought up property there.
I nodded as he said that but internally I was shocked that this man would blatantly take advantage of his position for his own financial gain. He had no shame about it, either, which was what really stunned me. Hell, he seemed proud of it.
Looking back on that moment, I suppose I should not have been so surprised as I’m now convinced that these shenanigans take place more often than I first realized. Politicians have been lining their pockets for centuries and there’s no reason to think it will end anytime soon.