We’d like to think that three arrests for driving while under the influence would perhaps not be the best credentials for an elected official. But Wisconsin Rep. Jeff Wood, (I-Chippewa Falls), begs to differ.
Woods, who faces expulsion from the Wisconsin Legislature, is not going away quietly. He is raising legal issues, “detailed procedural questions,” as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel put it, about his possible ouster.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/84362307.html
Wood’s attorney is arguing that the Assembly’s guidelines on how such expulsions should be handled are shaky at best. The lawyer seem to be hanging his hat on this argument: that Wood shouldn’t be punished by his fellow legislators for actions he took outside the Capitol that has nothing to do with his post as a lawmaker.
Under that reasoning, we suppose if Wood could have committed any crime and still be entitled to his seat in the Assembly.
Wood’s rap sheet is pretty long. Last year he was charged with: drunken driving, and marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession in Columbia Country; driving under the influence of drugs in Marathon County; and driving under the influence of drug and jumping bail in Monroe County.
Wood has resolved one of those cases, according to the Journal Sentinel. In a plea-bargain deal in Columbia County, Wood will plead no-contest to third-offense drunken driving charges. The marijuana and paraphernalia charges will be dismissed.
Under the plea, Wood could get 30 days to a year in jail, and be fined $600 to $2,000.
Those incidents were not Wood’s first run-ins with the law. In the early 1990s, Wood had two drunken driving convictions.
A special ethics committee will discuss Wood’s case at a hearing Wednesday.
From our perspective, drunk driving is a terribly serious offense. The first step towards injury prevention is to avoid accidents. Little increases the risk of an accident more than mixing alcohol and driving. Enough said.
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