In any community consisting of many people, there are some nice ones and some who are not nice. There are good plumbers, and bad ones. There are good Bnei Kollel, and bad ones. There are good Rabbonim and bad ones. There are good pilots, and bad ones. There are good askanim, and bad ones.
I’ve previously self identified as an askan. I am familiar with many others, and some of us are wonderful people, adhering to very strong ethics and Torah values. And there are some who are “shvitzers” who are only invested in themselves, getting their thrills from being involved in Klal issues. These latter creatures are not among those who we label, every Shabbos, as ?????? ????? ????? ??????. The last word, ?????, says a lot. And it is the difference between those who take ???? ???? out of context to manipulate people, and those who volunteer their personal time to assist others, ???? or ????? to make the world a better place. It is the instruction in Pirkei Avos (1:2):
??? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ????
Just as anyone here would investigate a prospective shidduch for a child, or might inquire to know more about a therspist, one should seek references about an askan. The majority, probably an overwhelming one are great ???? ???. Statistically, one might well do well to expect any given askan to be an upright and honest person. But there are exceptions that are newsworthy (dog bites man is not newsworthy, but man bites dog is). It shouldn’t hurt to investigate.