Wright and wrong
The echoes of hammers building a political gallows will reverberate through the General Assembly today as a special committee convenes to hear evidence in the case of Rep. Thomas Wright. The meeting is scheduled to begin in about 40 minutes.
Yes, there's been a lot of talk about due process and not passing judgment before its time, but leaders of the House Democrats who control the chamber have made it clear that they want to settle things before the session begins. And are any Republicans really going to lay themselves on the tracks to stop this train?
To be sure, the Wilmington Democrat is accused of doing things you don't want your elected officials doing. He has been indicted on six felony counts, including illegally obtaining or misusing campaign money and using the influence of his office to get a loan under fraudulent pretenses. To boot, he had strong ties to former Speaker Jim Black, who is now serving time in a federal pokey in Pennsylvania.
And as many times as we scruffy media types have described House Speaker Joe Hackney as "prickly," my colleagues would describe Wright's behavior toward them with a slightly shorter version of that word.
Still, it's not illegal to be hard to get along with. And while the indictments and evidence presented at a State Board of Elections hearing this summer are damning, a judge or jury has not found Wright guilty of anything yet.
So just by way of caution and context, allow me to offer up a reminder that there is a reason the General Assembly has not gone through the process of casting out one of its own since the 19th century for a reason. At stake is more than the spectacle of blood sport that 21st century politics has become.
For better or worse, the voters of the 18th state House district chose Wright as their representative. By vacating his seat, the legislature is essentially throwing out those votes, depriving not just the man of his office but the people of their preferred leader.
Now let's be clear: if Wright has done the things he's been accused of, it is a fairly easy case to make that he doesn't belong in the legislature.
But what happens if the legislature chucks him out and he's later found in court to be not guilty? Or what happens if he gets thrown out and wins a re-election campaign?
Not likely you say? I'm inclined to agree.
But stranger things have happened.