In her column of Aug. 12, Cynthia Dill conflates, and thereby confuses, two discrete questions. Should state Rep. Dillon Bates resign? Should the Legislature afford him due process in determining whether he violated its ethical standards?

The answer to the second question is easy. The Legislature should adhere to due process in whatever it does.

Contrary to Ms. Dill’s thinking, however, the answer to the first question does not depend on the answer to the second but instead rests on personal integrity. What Rep. Bates must decide is whether having been accused, perhaps wrongly, of improper conduct, it is in the best interests of his constituents for him to continue to represent them. If his answer is “no,” then he must resign.

This is a painfully difficult question, especially if Rep. Bates knows he has done no wrong. But this is neither about a right to serve, which Mr. Bates does not possess, nor about legislative due process, which we are entitled to expect in any event. This is solely a question of whether, by remaining in office, Rep. Bates will betray his constituents’ trust.

Perry Clark

Cape Elizabeth