What Happens When You Give A 25 Year-Old A Smartphone and The Keys To The City?

Bom Jardim is arguably one of the poorest cities in Brazil.  You wouldn’t know that by the opulent life of the municipality’s mayor Lidiane Leite who stated on her social media, “Before I was mayor I was poor, and had a Land Rover. Now I’m in a Toyota SW4… I should have bought a better car, because thanks to God money is no longer a problem.”  Ms. Leite is 25 years of age and the successor to her one-time husband, Beto Rocha’s, mayoral administration.  As coincidence would have it, Rocha’s time in office was cut short after his alleged involvement in corruption was uncovered.

After winning the election, Ms. Leite did not occupy the office long before it was suspected she moved to the state of Maranhao’s capital city of Sao Luis, where she began delegating to duties to her staff and diverting city funds from her WhatsApp account.  The majority of such funds came from the Bom Jardim school system totaling close to $4 million.  As a result, the education system has crumbled and teachers are not able to be paid.  An investigation and arrest warrant has been issued for Ms. Leite by the local authorities.  Citizens in the town of 39,000 protested in the streets demanding an end to the malfeasance.

The children, teachers, and taxpayers are the ones who lose out most in this unfortunate incident.  Children living in towns lacking adequate resources deserve an opportunity to have quality education to one day improve their economic situation.  At the same time, teachers who are dedicated educating youngsters deserve prompt and adequate compensation. Lastly, taxpayers deserve to have the assurance that the income levied on their paychecks is going to ethical, engaged, and transparent government.