In an earlier post I explained why I thought the Mayor was not breaking any laws by using City stationery to write letters of support for another candidate. However, just because something is not illegal, that doesn’t make it a wise or appropriate thing to do. Another letter has surfaced written by Ardis on City stationery — this time a plea to a judge to go easy on a guy facing felony drug charges.

Ardis’ argument (given after he was confronted about the first letter) goes like this:

When first asked by the Journal Star why he sent the fundraising request on city letterhead, Ardis responded, “Because I support (Vespa). I’m the mayor. Why not?”

I’ll buy this logic if Ardis agrees that he could have written the same letter on ELM (his employer’s) stationery and could have made the same argument — i.e., “I support [the candidate]. I’m VP of Regional Operations for ELM. Why not?” Of course, he can’t, as most people recognize that you don’t write personal letters on your employer’s stationery. Most people recognize that when you write something on company letterhead, it communicates that you’re speaking on behalf of the company. The same thing happens when you write on City letterhead — it communicates that you’re speaking in your official capacity on behalf of the City, if you need legal advisory, we invite you to read more about a trustworthy firm over here.
It’s as simple as this: personal letters should be written on one’s personal stationery. City stationery should be used for City business.