| NEWS | Stringer Things Arizona House punts on vote to expel Rep. Stringer over sex charges and racism BY STEVEN HSIEH T Joe Flaherty he Arizona House of Repre- sentatives on Monday punted on a motion to expel State Representative David Stringer following a Phoenix New Times report that he was charged with multiple sex offenses, including child pornography, when he lived in Bal- timore in 1983. Republicans voted 31-28 in favor of ending the day without deciding String- er’s fate, while Democrats wanted a vote on the Prescott Republican’s expulsion. Republicans said they preferred to await findings from an ethics committee on claims against Stringer before taking a vote to expel him. Minority Co-Whip Reginald Bolding, a Democrat from Laveen, introduced the motion to expel Stringer, citing the state representative’s failure to disclose his 1983 charges to the public. “I don’t know what happened in 1983,” Bolding said on the floor as he explained why he wanted to expel Stringer. “But I can tell you that allegations of a sexual na- ture that was not disclosed to the body, to our voters. That is not transparency.” Bolding also cited racist comments made by Stringer last year, including remarks that Afri- can-Americans “don’t blend in” and that there “aren’t enough white kids to go around” in Arizona public schools. “When a little DOCUMENTS SHOW STRINGER GOT PROBATION FOR SEX OFFENSES IN 1983. boy reads a paper and sees that a member of the House of Representatives says you don’t blend in, what do you think that 6- or 7-year-old boy feels?” Bolding said. “That’s not okay.” A court document obtained by New Times shows that a Maryland state court entered a judgment of guilt against Stringer on three sex offenses. The document shows that he was sentenced to probation and in- structed to seek treatment at a program for people with sexual disorders. Stringer claims he was falsely arrested. The Arizona Daily Independent, a conser- vative news outlet, published a sympa- Representative David Stringer’s political career hangs in balance. thetic story claiming the state representative pleaded to “probation be- fore judgment,” wherein he neither admit- ted guilt nor received any conviction. Republicans said the House Ethics Committee, which meets Thursday, should investigate an official complaint against Stringer before taking any action against him. House Majority Leader Warren Pe- tersen, a Republican from Gilbert, said, “The reason members are agreeing on the board, it’s not that people aren’t horrified or people aren’t shocked, but we have a process.” State Representative Kelly Townsend of Mesa filed the complaint against Stringer. Citing the New Times story, as well as the “conflicting” Arizona Daily In- dependent story, Townsend’s complaint states Stringer should be given an opportu- nity to defend himself. “I cannot tolerate even reports of cur- rent or past conduct, that if true, would hold an elected member up to shameful public dishonor and scorn,” Townsend complaint states. Last year, Townsend was a voice advo- cating for the expulsion of then-Represen- tative Don Shooter after an investigation substantiated sexual harassment allega- tions against the lawmaker. At the time, Townsend said if Shooter did not resign within 24 hours, she would move to expel him, going beyond then-Speaker J.D. Mes- nard’s call for Shooter’s censure. Shooter did not resign. He was expelled in a historic 56-3 vote on February 1, 2018. But on Monday, Townsend expressed regret for the way Shooter’s expulsion played out, saying it should have been preceded by an Ethics Committee recom- mendation. Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers also invoked Shooter’s expulsion, arguing that more time is needed for an explana- tion and an opportunity for Stringer to of- fer his defense. The speaker said he supported the mo- tion to recess, with the expectation that lawmakers would return to address Bold- ing’s motion. 7 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES JAN. 31ST–FEB. 6TH, 2019
