READER’S EDITORIAL: SYMPATHY SHOULD GO TO VICTIMS, NOT TO JILLIAN HANSON-COX

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By Councilman Gary Kendrick

I have been very saddened by the discovery that my fellow El Cajon City Council Member, Jillian Hanson-Cox, was not the person I thought she was. I had always seen Jillian as a very warm-hearted, caring and honest individual.  The documents now on file in the federal district court convincingly show that she is just the opposite.

Jillian embezzled an almost unbelievable amount of money from a family who thought of her as their own offspring.  The victims of her crimes are numerous, and these people are from all economic strata.  These innocent victims should be the primary objects for our sympathy.  My heart also aches for Jillian’s family members who have been hurt by her actions.

While a large portion of the money she embezzled may have gone to charitable or otherwise worthy causes, she also spent enormous sums of money on herself for frivolous luxuries.  There is no excuse, nor is there any justification, for her actions. 

While none of the embezzled funds came from the City of El Cajon, she has nonetheless harmed our city by bringing shame upon herself while serving as a public official. In doing so, she violated the trust placed in her by the citizens of our city.  I strongly disapprove of all of her actions, and ask that we all focus our sympathies solely on her victims.

The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.


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