http://www.nbc12.com/story/27842939/del-morrissey-wins-back-his-74th-district-house-seat Del. Joe Morrissey, who resigned his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates after being convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, has won the special election held to fill that vacated seat.
Unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections website show Morrissey held the lead all night after polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Morrissey, who ran as an Independent, edged out competition from Republican Matt Walton and Democrat Kevin Sullivan.
Shortly after votes for the last of the 33 precincts were counted, House Speaker William J. Howell released the following statement:
"Mr. Morrissey's election tonight does not change the fact that his actions fall grievously short of the standards of a public servant in the House of Delegates. As Speaker, I have an obligation to faithfully and impartially discharge my duties as presiding officer and a responsibility to protect the honor and integrity of the House of Delegates as an institution. There are a number of options available to the body to address questions of conduct regarding its members. These options are set out in the Constitution of Virginia and the rules of the House. Working with House Minority Leader David Toscano and other members of the House, we will begin the process of assessing these options in order to determine the appropriate path forward."
Democratic Leader David Toscano and Caucus Chair Scott Surovell also released a joint statement on Tuesday's special election results:
“Joe Morrissey chose to run as an Independent; he is not a member of the Democratic Party, nor is he a member of the House Democratic Caucus. His conviction and actions over the past two months were reprehensible, and we will be exploring every avenue in regard to his status as a member of the House of Delegates."
Given the recent federal conviction of our former governor on ethics/bribery charges, it is highly likely that the House of Delegates will refuse to seat him. Should that fail, it is again highly likely that he will be expelled.
The General Assembly starts its 2015 session next Monday, 1/19. With any luck the qurstion of which way Joe is thrown out of the House of Delegates will be resolved by the end of that day.
In the mean time, the FSA members who make up a large part of the 74th District will be continuing to look to Joe for more cheese.
To call Joe's past checkered is to suggest a hounstooth jacket is monochromatic. He's been conviced of assault while Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond, had his law license revoked, been forced to quit his position as a professor at a New Zealand (iirc) law school when the faculty there "discovered" he had no law license. And those are just the highlights.
Seems most of Joe's constituents love him because he's either gotten them off when tried on criminal charges or at least been able to plead down significantly.
Just when there was a chance for hope for humanity this happens!
Anybody have a few spare nukes or a small (half a county) sized death ray I could borrow?
stay safe.
