Independent Dartmouth North MLA says he plans to run again.
by Stephen Kimber
The careening train wreck Trevor Zinck’s political career and personal life has become has finally flown off the tracks, plunged over the cliff and disappeared into an abyss.
Zinck, who’d promised a vigorous defence of the criminal charges in the MLA expense scandal, turtled instead. On the the fifth day of his trial — after the prosecution had laid out its damning, he-even-stole-a-kid’s-hockey-dreams case against him — he pleaded guilty to fraud and breach of trust.
Nova Scotians have a right to be angry. And Zinck deserves to pay for his crimes. But his is also, ultimately, a sad case.
Zinck is now vowing to win back his job in the next provincial election…
Nova Scotians have a right to be angry. And Zinck deserves to pay for his crimes. But his is also, ultimately, a sad case.
I met Zinck shortly after he was elected MLA for Dartmouth North in 2006. I’d written about child welfare problems in Nova Scotia, and a group of parents invited me to a meeting to discuss their options. Zinck was there too. He took notes, offered helpful advice, promised support. I believe he followed up.
In the three years since Zinck’s expenses became a matter of criminal investigation, I’ve written a number of critical columns about what he did. Each time, I’d receive emails from constituents who still considered him their champion. There may be fewer of those now that we know the constituents and charities he’s stiffed.
Why did it all go off the rails?
The short answer appears to be some combination of alcohol and gambling addictions — mixed with an unhealthy dose of denial. Early on, Zinck acknowledged he’d had “problems,” but during his trial he downplayed them. “Every once in a while I go to the casino,” he shrugged after the prosecution persuasively connected the dots from his constituency bank account to late night ATM withdrawals at the Halifax casino.
I hope — though his behaviour to date doesn’t encourage much — Trevor Zinck will finally pause, take stock of what’s happened and why, and seek help.
Not for the sake of his political career — but for his life.
About Stephen Kimber
Stephen Kimber is the Rogers Communications Chair in Journalism at the University of King's College in Halifax. He is an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster.
His writing has appeared in almost all major Canadian publications including Canadian Geographic, Financial Post Magazine, Maclean's, En Route, Chatelaine, Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the National Post. He has written one novel — Reparations — and six non-fiction books. Website: http://www.stephenkimber.com.
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