2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumArizona state representative Daniel Patterson (AZ-Ind) quits after expulsion recommended
PHOENIX (AP) - A state representative has resigned after the House Ethics Committee recommended that he be expelled from the Legislature for bullying behavior at the Capitol.
Rep. Daniel Patterson submitted his resignation just minutes before a Wednesday afternoon floor session that would have included consideration of the committee's expulsion recommendation.
Speaker Andy Tobin announced Patterson's resignation at the beginning of the floor session.
Patterson declined comment to reporters as he left Tobin's office before the floor session.
http://www.kvoa.com/news/ariz-lawmaker-quits-after-expulsion-recommended/
Earlier related article:
Arizona Lawmakers Say Theyre Afraid Of Their Colleague
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/daniel_patterson_arizona_violence_accusations.php
Edited subject line to reflect that he is an Independent.
Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)Ian David
(69,059 posts)Cirque du So-What
(25,973 posts)Looks like he's exposing himself to the woman in front of him, and her expression indicates displeasure (at the very least).
So he's ostensibly a 'Democrat.' So what of it? Wacko politicians would have to start running 10-to-1 Democrat vs. Republican for a long time before approaching the level of malfeasance on their side. Good. Glad he's gone - and therein lies the difference: Republicans attempt to move hell & earth to protect one of their own, while we're happy to see the crooks & cretins gone on our side.
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)and Republicans tried to block his expulsion.
... Democrats have been pressing for Patterson's ouster for more than a week, but Republicans last week blocked the motion to expel Patterson, a Democrat-turned-independent. GOP members said Patterson was entitled to due process and gave the Tucson lawmaker a week to respond to the ethics investigation. ...
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2012/04/09/20120409daniel-patterson-releasing-response-ethics-inquiry.html#ixzz1rliyBWXD
Cirque du So-What
(25,973 posts)When his name is mentioned, they'll inevitably refer to him as a 'Democrat.' Watch and see. Of course, when a white supremacist/child rapist like Strom Thurmond converts from Dixiecrat to Republican, he's a hero.
ChazInAz
(2,572 posts)they do love them some Patterson. He fits right in with all the Arizona Repukes.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)But its not his politics they say they fear. Its his angry, threat-filled outbursts that they say are becoming all too normal. One such outburst managed to rattle a fellow lawmaker enough that she says she now sleeps with a weapon at her bedside just in case.
This week, those same lawmakers said they are now considering throwing Patterson out of office after an ethics investigation uncovered a series of similar outbursts, along with other allegations, including that he once offered to give a lobbyist his vote in exchange for sex and that he regularly smokes marijuana.
The investigation came after prosecutors in Tucson charged Patterson with four misdemeanor counts of domestic violence. The charges, which he has pleaded not guilty to, stemmed from fights with his live-in girlfriend, who also happened to be his campaign manager at the time.