Last week saw it series of disturbing news stories. 33 people were killed at Virgina Tech. Closer to home a life was self-destroyed. John Guertze was arrested for DWI after an investigation into corruption in county government.

For many people watching the news he was just another corrupt politician who decided to abuse his privileges as a public servant. As a staffer at the Albany County Division of Budget and Personnel, it is alleged that he was using his gasoline credit card for his county car to buy non-work related products including cigarettes and alcohol to the tune of eight thousand dollars over the past year.

While we don't know if any of that is true, we do know he failed a sobriety test for driving drunk in the middle of the day. It might just be that he was just another person who had fallen to the abuse of alcohol and seen his life destroyed by it. Yet, he was something more in the past to his community and his family.

He was and still is the Renselearville Democratic Party Leader. He also is the Former Town Supervisor of Renselearville and a farmer. He raised a family, partially supported on the beef cattle, pigs, and timber that he cut for a living – on the side of his political career. He didn't go for the grandiose in politics, but he cared deeply about his community.

His farm was neither beautiful or wealthy. The land it is on outside of Medusa slopes into a valley, and in many ways was over grown. He had lots of junk vehicles, and it was run down place. But it was beautiful. He tried to make it work as a farm, and to succeed against incredible odds. He might not had the perfect education, but he tried to make it work the best he could with the skills he had.

He always struck me as a very decent humble person, if not even a bit of a farmer-redneck type character. His accent was amazing. He was a farmer and damn proud of his flannel and barn boots. I was good friends with his son, Paul Guertze throughout high school. I lost touch with Paul shortly after graduating. His wife, Deborah was a similarly decent person, working hard as an aide at the High School I attended trying to make ends meet to support the farm.

Paul like his dad was soft spoken. He never swore except once telling a store regarding a very angry bull. He was too good of a person to steal or lie. He was gentle, although always full of interesting stories from his farm life. Everybody at school called Deborah 'mom' in part to her gentle character, and because Paul and his little sister Kendal also did. That's life in a small town.

Things changed for Mr. Guertze in recent years. His wife got cancer. His kids grew up and struggled to make a life for their own. On undoubtedly, while the cattle still grazed his pastures, it got harder and harder to make ends meet on the farm. He had to work far away in the city and try to balance with the rest of his life. We might not ever know why things had to go so terribly wrong for him.

I hope that things do turn around for John Guertze. He is a decent man, and I believe he can overcome the evil that has beset him. If he has to go to jail, I hope his stay is short and that he can go on with his life. Most of all, I hope he can keep his run down farm in Medusa. That is his life up to now, and that is his passion. He raised his family there well, and he is a good regardless of any misdeeds that may have misled him.