The entire state Senate has passed a resolution calling on Dianne Wilkerson to “resign immediately her position as Senator from the Second Suffolk District.” Here’s the resolution (pdf).
UPDATE: Wilkerson had previously written in a letter to Sen. Pres. Murray that she would “respect whatever decision you make.” My guess: that “respect” will not extend to resigning her office. It just means that she won’t raise a stink about being stripped of her committee appointments — not that she’d get anywhere anyway. But maybe Wilkerson will surprise us all by stepping down and ending her sticker campaign.
FURTHER UPDATE: Governor Patrick has just issued this statement (email, no link):
“On a bi-partisan basis, the Senate today unanimously re-affirmed that elected officials should be held to the highest ethical standards. I support and respect their action.”
Hmm. I mean, I guess he’s calling for her to resign, but it’s hard to tell. A more definitive statement would have been preferable.
STILL FURTHER UPDATE: Surprise! Wilkerson has rejected the Senate’s call for her to resign, but assures us that she is “committed to do what is in the best interest of the residents of this district.” Ah, I feel better now.
she’d listen.
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p>I’m looking forward for the Sonia era.
If she goes away quietly, does her time and keeps her mouth shut about the other dirty secrets on Beacon Hill, then rest of the senate mafia will take care of her family while she doing her time.
just curious.
Senate mafia? Puh-leaze. And in what world would issuing a public call from the entire Senate calling on her to resign result in her “go[ing] away quietly?”
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p>If you want her to go quietly, the last thing you do is shine a spotlight on her while wagging your shame finger. If she’s got any real goods on anyone, you can bet she’ll trade them for some leniency. It’s not like she’s got much of a future public career at this point — why would she help bury any other alleged dirty secrets?
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p>If anything, she’s now a loose cannon. But keep spreading the tripe that every single elected official is a sleaze…
Perhaps there are social contexts where cynicism can fly without substantiation.
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p>This isn’t one of them.
on Campbell Brown last night.
that none of our RMG friends have asked about why the same hasn’t been demanded of Marzilli. But it is clear that I;m thinking along those same lines myself. Regardless of the reasons for his arrest (emotional or criminal), he needed to resign. He didn’t, but it’s clear he’s not coming abck. Why hasn’t Mr Speaker pushed a similar resolution?
I’m guessing that there’s probably some taboo about one house of the legislature making resolutions about another house’s members. Kind of a separation of powers type of thing.
I’m questioning why DiMasi hasn’t pushed a house resolution asking Marzilli to resign.
If DiMasi already pushed a resolution to ask for Wilkerson to resign, then by all means, he should do the same in regards to Marzilli. But again, I’m not sure it’s appropriate for the House to be making resolutions about Senators.
For some reason I’m still thinking of him as Rep Marzilli. Duh! SO then the original question should have been: Why hasn’t Sen Murray pushed a resolution calling for his resignation also?
But my hunch is that Wilkerson’s crime was considered to be more grievous, in that she was using her position for illegal gain. Marzilli didn’t do that. (Well, he did try to use his positon as “State Rep. Marty Walsh” to evade arrest…)
on the other hand, he was arrested months ago and is still sitting on the payroll, whereas wilkerson will be gone in a month anyways.
If she were not already headed for defeat next week in her bad-sportsmanship sticker campaign, I hope and assume she is now. Let her constituents not have a gap in their representation and by January it will all be history. As for the Governor, I’m not sure it would be appropriate for him to explicitly call for her resignation. There is a tradition of the executive not stepping on legislative prorogative going back to Crown-Parliament relations in the 1600s.
An old saying. True? Well, I won’t count out Dianne until Wednesday. There’s a history in another Massachusetts politician.
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p>But, I don’t don’t blame the state house crowd for showing their best righteous indignation. After all, she made them go to ground for awhile. And just before Christmas…
having her in office a) is a disgrace and b) will only add to the confusion and distraction at the state house, slowing down everything. The sooner she’s out, the better.
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p>Meanwhile, if a state senator or rep resigns, their staff still stays in place, so the district is not totally unrepresented.
Marzilli? DiMasi? Trav? Rogers? Finnegan? Flaherty? Bulger? Countless others!
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p>Diane, you were right at home in the den of thieves on Beacon Hill. Your colleagues will now feign shock and discust. Call them out!
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p>Shine a light on what has been going on up there for centuries.
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p>Oh well, now you won’t become a million-dollar lobbyist!
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p>You blowing the whistle on the others is probably too much to expect from you. Give prosecutors some crumbs and make the best deal you can!
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p>Easy come! Easy go!
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All your colleagues are feigning shock.
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p>The Senate Ethics Committee never pinned anything on Billy Bulger. You have nothing to worry about.
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p>If you win your write-in campaign, I am confident that you will stand as proudly as the rest of the Members of the Club.
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p>Diane, the only thing you are guilty of is getting caught!
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p>(Note to file: Sonia Chang Diaz will easily win the Second Suffolk senate seat.)
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Says the Globe.
Methinks she’s going, if not right now, then in a coupla months.
I don’t know if it exists but maybe we should be able to suspend a politician from their office until any outstanding charges are proven or disproved. The leadership could hear the evidence and decide if the charge has warrant. If appropriate they could put them “on hold” and then move forward.
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p>Until then… Wilkerson should be GONE, Marzelli should be gone, Jefferson should be gone, Stevens should have been gone and so should anyone else who they have clear evidence on. And after they are gone they should stand trial like any of us would and go to jail if guilty AND lose any pension benefits. I’ve heard Marzelli stands to gain significant pension benefits if he stays in office until his term is over. NO MORE of this crap!!!!