It’s time to start the petition drive to oust Sen. Louise Lucas from the Virginia Senate. The Virginian-Pilot blasted her in a stinging editorial for “filing suit against the very people she represents” for 97 million dollars.
“Lucas has rendered herself useless in the state Senate, at least when it comes to representing Portsmouth. If she and her companies press forward with the legal action, they’ll inflict tremendous financial damage on a city that is already struggling to educate its children, pay its law enforcement officers a competitive wage and provide other basic services.” Virginian-Pilot
Inflicting tremendous financial damage, huh. Well, let’s see what the law says about elected officials who do such things.
§ 24.2-233. Removal of elected and certain appointed officers by courts.
Upon petition, a circuit court may remove from office any elected officer or officer who has been appointed to fill an elective office, residing within the jurisdiction of the court:1. For neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties when that neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties has a material adverse effect upon the conduct of the office
Sounds like Sen Lucas’ repeated attempts to bully her local government into allowing government financing of her private business interests, and a nearly 100 million dollar lawsuit against her constituents when she doesn’t get her way, sounds like it fits the bill for expulsion from the Senate.
First, what’s needed is a petition signed by a number equal to 10% of the voters in her last election. 20,571 voted in her rubber-stamp, unopposed election in 2007. That means 2,058 names on a petition would be needed to send Sen. Lucas to a Circuit Court judge.
If Sen. Lucas wants to take her constituents to court, maybe her constituents should do the same to her.
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled. 
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Brian,
If I lived in her district I’d sign the petition.
ditto
I can take the ferry to P-town from Waterside. Whats the format for the petition, do I just get names and addresses, who do I give it to when I am done?
Max,
I think you have to be a resident of the district to circulate the petition. Check with your boss.
If a non-resident can circulate (I live in the 7th), I’ll help.
Let’s Roll!!!
Let me know how I can help-Circulate paper, computer mailings..ANYTHING!!
Unfortunately, living in Portsmouth I know this will never happen. If we really want to do something lets get a candidate who can win and take her out in the next election.
In Portsmouth that may be an issue. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the candidate with the ideas and the foresight to be a good legislator is not always the one elected.
Also, at what point does the fashion police step in and charge her with a felony?
It’s time to send Sen. Lucas the message that she has overstepped her position as an elected official and she needs to go. She cannot represent
the City of Portsmouth and sue the City all at the same time. If I can do anything to help with the petition for removal I will be more than happy to do so.
Many like Senator Lucas…..slick politicians expert on bamboozling but short of gray matter get away with what they do because good, hard -working people turn a blind or busy eye away from their shenanigans….. It is time for people to get off their indifferent butts and smell the coffee. Lucas and her ilk are robbing this country of its greatness and future. Mediocrity and fraud are destroying our country. I WILL help circulate a recall petition and will attempt to talk to legal counsel Monday to that effect. I will be at council Jan 13th and give her a 5 minute piece of my mind. You can best believe Lucas this minute is rallying her flim-flam troopers to pack council chambers that night. If you care about Portsmouth then stand up and fight for it!
Good lord folks. This is a business matter…which is hardly affected by her senate job. She feels the city owes her, and they disagree. The courts will handle that, not some attempt at petty politics by republicans.
This isn’t a business matter. It’s a matter of Lucas wasting the court’s time and the city’s money when she decides to sue for three times the original amount she was requesting. This senator should be devoting her efforts to stamping out frivolous lawsuits instead of just adding hers onto the pile.
And, no, I’m not a republican. I just believe the money could be spent on much more important things.
If you are going to stand up for someone, stand up for someone who represents moving portsmouth out of the educational abyss it is in, who represents the people who want to fight the crime and drug addled streets that the Portsmouth Police cannot handle, and stand up for someone who represents even a slight glimmer of hope of making portsmouth better.
This is not a “Republican” or “Democrat” issue as I think you see from some comments, this is about ethics, integrity and representing your constituents to the best of your ability, not suing them. I will say that some of the comments are inflammatory, but given the circumstances I believe there is an absolute right to be angered by this.
Portsmouth has enough problems as it is, they do not need money, time, and emotion wasted on a lawsuit or a Lucas project that would only waste exactly that.
Like P-Town Hubert said, Let’s Roll with the petition. P-Town needs to pack the city Hall Chambers on Jan 13.