NJFFSA16
08-20-2002, 04:30 AM
Read carefully....I got lost after the first few graphs...LOL:D
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A man convicted of setting a fire for
insurance money probably may run for mayor, but a councilman who
served time for taking a bribe should be on his way out of
politics, a state senator says.
The important difference is that mayoral candidate Scott Tubbs
was pardoned last year, while councilman Joe Shyne wasn't, said
Sen. Max Malone, R-Shreveport.
Malone helped write the 1998 constitutional amendment that keeps
some unpardoned convicted felons from running for office.
Tubbs was sentenced to three years of hard labor in 1999, but
the sentence was suspended and he was pardoned in 2001.
"My opinion is he can probably run," Malone said.
Tubbs, 32, a political newcomer, has been criticized because of
his criminal record. In a written statement, Tubbs said he would
not run for mayor "if I truly believed this would affect my
integrity."
Shyne served a one-year sentence for taking $1,500 from someone
seeking a liquor license.
Under Louisiana law, some first-time nonviolent felons are
automatically pardoned when they complete their sentences. Because
Shyne's felony conviction was in federal court, he is not eligible
for that pardon.
Shyne was re-elected to a four-year term in 1998, just before
the current ban on convicts running for office took effect.
Shyne has held his district office for 16 years, interrupted by
one term, from 1994 to 1998, which overlapped his criminal
sentence.
"I'm basically the only city councilman that they've ever
known," Shyne, a retired school teacher and coach, says of his
district's voters.
Shyne could still run if no one filed a lawsuit challenging his
eligibility.
Shreveport residents may file a complaint in district court
questioning a candidate's eligibility. All complaints must be filed
seven calendar days from the close of qualifying on Friday.
None of Shyne's challengers say their camp will file the
necessary paperwork to question Shyne's legal ability to run.
"We will not let ourselves get mixed up with anything to do
with Joe Shyne," said one candidate, Barbara Norton said.
But Malone said he is confident the amendment he co-authored
will keep Shyne out of the race. He is awaiting an attorney
general's opinion to confirm that.
Malone said he is counting on one of Shyne's two opponents or
another resident to file the complaint paperwork that will set the
legal wrangling in motion.
"If nobody else does, I probably will," he said. "I think
it's a slap in the face to the law that we passed if we didn't."
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press)
Neither of them could be firefighters....:eek:
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A man convicted of setting a fire for
insurance money probably may run for mayor, but a councilman who
served time for taking a bribe should be on his way out of
politics, a state senator says.
The important difference is that mayoral candidate Scott Tubbs
was pardoned last year, while councilman Joe Shyne wasn't, said
Sen. Max Malone, R-Shreveport.
Malone helped write the 1998 constitutional amendment that keeps
some unpardoned convicted felons from running for office.
Tubbs was sentenced to three years of hard labor in 1999, but
the sentence was suspended and he was pardoned in 2001.
"My opinion is he can probably run," Malone said.
Tubbs, 32, a political newcomer, has been criticized because of
his criminal record. In a written statement, Tubbs said he would
not run for mayor "if I truly believed this would affect my
integrity."
Shyne served a one-year sentence for taking $1,500 from someone
seeking a liquor license.
Under Louisiana law, some first-time nonviolent felons are
automatically pardoned when they complete their sentences. Because
Shyne's felony conviction was in federal court, he is not eligible
for that pardon.
Shyne was re-elected to a four-year term in 1998, just before
the current ban on convicts running for office took effect.
Shyne has held his district office for 16 years, interrupted by
one term, from 1994 to 1998, which overlapped his criminal
sentence.
"I'm basically the only city councilman that they've ever
known," Shyne, a retired school teacher and coach, says of his
district's voters.
Shyne could still run if no one filed a lawsuit challenging his
eligibility.
Shreveport residents may file a complaint in district court
questioning a candidate's eligibility. All complaints must be filed
seven calendar days from the close of qualifying on Friday.
None of Shyne's challengers say their camp will file the
necessary paperwork to question Shyne's legal ability to run.
"We will not let ourselves get mixed up with anything to do
with Joe Shyne," said one candidate, Barbara Norton said.
But Malone said he is confident the amendment he co-authored
will keep Shyne out of the race. He is awaiting an attorney
general's opinion to confirm that.
Malone said he is counting on one of Shyne's two opponents or
another resident to file the complaint paperwork that will set the
legal wrangling in motion.
"If nobody else does, I probably will," he said. "I think
it's a slap in the face to the law that we passed if we didn't."
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press)
Neither of them could be firefighters....:eek: