Amid Cheers And Jeers, Boston City Council Expels Turner

[Recursion]

Source: WBUR (Boston NPR affiliate)

For the first time in its history, the Boston City Council has expelled one of its members. In an 11-1 vote late Wednesday the council acted to remove Chuck Turner from office, effective on Friday. The vote follows Turner’s federal conviction in October of taking a $1,000 bribe.

With the same tone of the recent court trial, a trial that ended badly, the Boston City Council took up the expulsion order for Chuck Turner. It needed eight votes to pass. But whereas the verdict of the federal jury wasn’t known until it came back to convict him, this jury had the votes lined up ahead of time.

“I’m a convicted felon,” Turner said, laughing. “But you know the story.”

And the story Turner told, knowing they were going to vote against him, was of being set up by the U.S. Justice Department.

Read more: http://www.wbur.org/2010/12/02/turner-council-2

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This guy is weird. His argument for not being kicked off the council was this: "My constituents still voted for me after I was indicted, so you shouldn't use this conviction to disenfranchise them."

MA's Democratic party has huge corruption problems; we just lost the speaker of the state house and a state senator. This corruption was a big part of Brown's Senate campaign, and it's why Charlie "Big Dig" Baker's gubernatorial campaign had as much traction as it did.

ON EDIT: apparently Turner is Green, not Dem. Another reason not to vote Green.

[Blue_Tires]

1. he deserves to go, but he has to be one of the cheapest pols EVAR

Only $1000? Boston wouldn't have any city government, services OR cops if the feds went after everyone who took a grand under the table...

[greiner3]

2. Convicted for the accepting smallest bribe ever!

[Recursion]

3. He was heavily implicated in the Wilkerson scandal

She was the state senator I mentioned in the OP. And there are a lot of allegations about the nonprofit he runs that officially establishes co-ops but unofficially takes workers' money and runs. I think this was just the charge they could finally get to stick to him.

[pattmarty]

4. "Another reason not to vote Green"? Ya know dishonesty, just like........

.........racism doesn't have party bounds. You make a statement about the Dems having a "huge" corruption problems and you make a biased attack on the Green party. I lived in Chgo and its suburbs most of my life and Chgo's Dem party for the most part wasn't the most honest motherfuckers NOR was the Republican party that held Du Page county like forever. Saying not to vote Green because of this ass hole is stupid.

[robcon]

5. It's certainly not the MAIN reason not to vote Green, but it's one of them.

n/t

[pattmarty]

6. Oh, and would you care to enlighten the rest of us? Hell, I can make.......

.......a stupid, baseless, no fact statement too but it doesn't make it fucking true. You know something (with links/facts) about the Green party spit it out.

[Recursion]

9. GREEN

Getting
Republicans
Elected
Every
November

(In fairness, I was registered Green in DC because they're the statehood party.)

[pattmarty]

11. Oh, okay. Just like Fox "news". I got my information (and talking points).......

............from Recursion at Dem underground. Didn't "we" just have a fucking Republican "Tsunami" a couple weeks ago? I ran as a Green in Ar a few years back and decided in this election to vote my goddamn conscience, unlike you with obviously no principles other than a 3rd grade 5 word STUPID fucking, can I even call it a "statement"? Don't ever try to get a job as a propagandist, cause you'll never make it.

[Recursion]

12. Jeez, did I touch a nerve? (nt)

[pattmarty]

14. Uh no, did I? I didn't mean to imply that just because you gave me.......

.......5 stupid words with the letters g-r-e-e-n in them, that you were talking out of your ass. Face it, you don't have a goddamn idea of what the Green party stands for and probably don't even give a fuck.

[Recursion]

15. I just said I was registered Green when I lived in DC

And I attended party meetings and canvassed; in that case it's because they had just merged with the DC Statehood party. In fact, I ended up leaving the party over their endorsement of Nader in 2000 and a few other issues mostly having to do with recruiting ANC candidates. I don't get where you think I don't know what the Green party stands for. And I stand by the point that the reason Republicans fund Green candidates is because the only real effect the party has on state and national politics is getting Republicans elected.

[pattmarty]

17. Well, you're entitled to your opinion. AND, ALL of my statements........

......in this post I wholeheartedly stand by.

[saras]

18. Spoiler effect

If you don't like the spoiler effect, why don't you work to eliminate it?

In many cases, I won't vote for the Democrat over the Republican for the same reason I wouldn't give a six-year-old up to a rapist-torturer instead of a rapist-murderer. If I'm going to vote in that election I want my vote to say that I don't think either of them deserve office, and I'll do nothing to support either of them in their goals.

How do you suggest I do this? It's clear that voting for the Democrat doesn't work, in any way, shape, or form. Do you have a better idea, or just negativity?

Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't consider a legally binding 'none of the above' to be negativity. I haven't yet seen the political office that wouldn't be better of left unfilled for a term than filled by a fool, or worse. But a legitimate proportional-representation system would be better, of course. Winner-takes-all has failed. It's time to end it.

[No Elephants]

21. In fairness, Democrats are doing their share to get Republicans elected, too.

[No Elephants]

20. The main reason is how well the 1 Party, er, 2 Party system has served us since 1980.

[Tempest]

7. "This corruption was a big part of Brown's Senate campaign"

Funny, I don't remember hearing much about corruption during Brown's campaign.

The only reason Brown won was because Coakley was such a poor candidate and a worse campaigner.

[Recursion]

8. You don't remember his ads with DiMasi all over them?

Though maybe I'm mixing his up with Baker's.

[Tempest]

10. You're thinking of Baker

Baker was the one with the DiMasi ads.

[Recursion]

16. Sometimes I get my Romney-clone douchebags mixed up (nt)

[Tempest]

19. LOL

Easy to do when they smell the same.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. There were those here who used the "Their constituents still voted for them" meme

here to defend those facing Congressional ethics hearings too.