Discussion: City Councilman Can't Take Office Because Of Decades-Old Drug Charge

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Discussion for article #244310

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Meanwhile, the new mayor of Bridgeport, CT, is the felonious former mayor, Joe Ganim, who served several years in federal prison for public corruption. Yup, the city he and his pals robbed blind just elected him again. Because, you know, he’s learned his lesson.

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Yeah, but Ganim is white and was screwing lots of people out of money. I’m surprised they don’t give him a raise, perhaps a multi-million dollar bonus in the process. I’d love to say something snarky about the injustice being done to Councilman Sanders, but it just too fucking obnoxious.

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The people elected him & they should generally have the right to choose who they want, including someone who committed a crime in the past. Various examples of convicted criminals who were elected can be cited. Different guidelines in different states. The article is PA, your example is Connecticut.

Also, partially in reply to another comment, it is not merely because he is “white” or not guilty of a financial crime. The rule from what I can tell applies to felonies. Joe Ganim would have been disqualified, since he pled guilty to a felony too, but is in another state. I’m not sure why the Democratic governor can not simply pardon him. Should have did it when he ran in the first place.

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… and yet it was all OK for Mitch Daniels to be a 2 term Governor of Indiana and a Presidential candidate - - - even though in 1970 as a student in Princeton, he was arrested in a police sting that netted two size-12 shoeboxes worth of marijuana, along with LSD and drug paraphernalia.

Currently in NJ - possessing more than 50 grams (about 1.8 ounces) of marijuana is a felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison. Given the amount of pot Daniels had (enough to fill two shoeboxes), he easily could have been charged with intent to distribute, (1970 law was even tougher)

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This is nothing but pure disenfranchisement! The man was elected into office so how can anyone stop him from serving the people who elected him?

This is all about ‘race’. Black men are always subjected to different standards than puny mindset white men.

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If what I read is correct, these questions were raised during the campaign. What stopped anyone from approaching the Governor for a pardon long before this?