Sunday, January 09, 2005

Captain's Quarters: California Democrats On The Ropes?

The New York Times reports on the travails of Kevin Shelley, one of the most prominent Democratic officeholders in California, who now faces numerous investigations for corruption and malfeasance. Nor is Shelley the only Democratic leader that finds himself on the defensive on the legal front:

Six months ago, Kevin Shelley, the California secretary of state, was generating national attention for his efforts to ensure the integrity of the voting process and was considered a promising candidate for governor or the Senate.

Now Mr. Shelley, from a well-known San Francisco Democratic family, finds his political career in tatters because of scandals involving fund-raising and the way he has spent tens of millions of dollars of federal election money to carry out the voting overhaul he trumpeted. He is facing investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a federal grand jury, a state personnel board, the California Legislature and the federal agency that provides money to states to upgrade voting systems.

Several California newspapers have called on Mr. Shelley to resign. A Democratic state senator has announced she will challenge him in 2006, and leaders of the state Democratic Party, while publicly supportive for now, quietly say they hope he will quit. His handling of the federal election money will be the subject of a hearing by a joint legislative committee on Monday, but it appeared that he would not be forced to testify.

A well written opinion piece from the Captain!

Check it out!

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