Phil Hamilton's shameful behavior

Del. Phil Hamilton asked his constituents and Virginia taxpayers to believe that he obtained employment at Old Dominion University through innocent and serendipitous happenstance.

But e-mails released by the university this week paint a far more sinister account of how he ended up with the job.

Hamilton sponsored a state budget amendment in 2007 providing start-up money for the Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership at ODU. The center opened on July 1 of that year, and immediately inked a $40,000 annual contract with the delegate.

The Newport News lawmaker could have come clean three weeks ago when questions first emerged about his hiring. Instead, he provided a self-serving account of the circumstances, insisting he had no communication with ODU officials about the post until after the budget was adopted. E-mails say otherwise.

On Dec. 21, 2006, before the legislature had even convened at the state Capitol, Hamilton pressed then-ODU President Roseann Runte about his "interest in being associated with the initiative from a professional perspective," reminding her of a previous conversation about the position in August.

Two days after the General Assembly approved the budget, but long before it had been reviewed by the governor, Hamilton named his own salary in another e-mail to university officials. He noted that his part-time salary with the Newport News schools was $37,000 and suggested that ODU provide "at least that amount," adding, "more than that is always appreciated."

He collects an additional $17,640 as a delegate.

Hamilton released a statement accepting responsibility for his actions, but he continued to make excuses, saying he was "shocked and surprised at the number and, in some instances, content of the e-mails. It was obvious that my recollection was not supported by the e-mails."

Is it possible to forget how he secured nearly half his annual income? It is difficult to know what to believe, particularly after his previous declarations proved so misleading.

Though his contract with the university has now been severed, Hamilton must still answer not only to his Newport News constituents but to his colleagues in the legislature and all state taxpayers.

As a senior legislator, he has been entrusted with positions of power that affect every community in Virginia. As vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a budget negotiator, Hamilton has tremendous authority to shape policies on health care, education and public safety by controlling the flow of state dollars.

It's not unusual for senior budget leaders to carry water for universities and other agencies in their communities, but in this case Hamilton was filling that bucket for himself.

Now that the truth has emerged, he is tearful and chagrined, but it is too late. An apology alone, particularly one wrapped in excuses, doesn't wipe away the embarrassment he has caused and the questions he has raised. A full investigation is needed to determine whether he has violated the state's conflict of interest laws.

But Hamilton should not wait for a lengthy legal review to truly make amends. If he sincerely wants to take responsibility, he should resign.