Reps. Jewell Jones and Steve Marino
The Detroit News' opinion editor cuts right to it near the top of his Sunday column:
State Reps. Jewell Jones, a Democrat from Inkster, and Steve Marino, a Republican from Harrison Township, are unfit for the offices they hold.
Both have exhibited dangerous, erratic behavior that could well put the people working with them, as well as the public, at risk.
Nolan Finley, urging "a forced removal from office," recaps their widely reported missteps:
Jones was arrested earlier this year by Michigan State Police after he drove his SUV in a ditch. The video shows a a drunken Jones resisting arrest. ... A gun he had no permit to carry was found in his vehicle.
Jones, who repeatedly violated his bail agreement, remains in custody in Livingston County. ...
The Ingham County prosecutor decided this week not to charge Marino for [email and text] threats [to Rep. Mari Manoogian]. He must be escorted to and from the House floor, but hasn't been showing up since the scandal broke.
How long he'll stay away is uncertain. The answer should be forever.
The editorial page editor sees the absent officeholders as "an embarrassment to Michigan."
Democratic and Republican House leaders should come together to begin expulsion proceedings.
