Apr 15 2008
Boylan Not Out of the Dark Yet
RALEIGH — Rep. Joe Boylan, a Republican from Moore County, is the latest state official to be highlighted by a political watchdog who ferrets out legislative missteps.
On Monday, Joe Sinsheimer of Raleigh, a former Democratic campaign consultant, urged Boylan’s ouster following the freshman legislator’s charge last week with driving while impaired.
“He has quickly replaced Thomas Wright as the legislature’s most embarrassing member,” Sinsheimer wrote in an e-mail, referring to the Wilmington lawmaker sent to prison last week.
Sinsheimer dispatched his condemnation from Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. He is living there for six months while his wife completes an academic fellowship.
“My legislative record reflects I’ve kept all my promises to the people of Moore County,” Boylan said Monday. “I promise the people of Moore County I will complete the steps necessary to stop drinking altogether. I’m running for re-election and plan to win.”
Should Boylan be removed from the House? It’s a legitimate question and I don’t have a clear answer for it. His DWI obviously isn’t a clear violation of any ethics rules or else I imagine proceedings would already be underway, although it does walk a thin line as to what constitutes ethical misconduct. As I said the other day, you don’t get this drunk by accident and I would speculate this wasn’t his first time.
At this point, I still think the decision is best left up to the voters.
