Posted on 04/19/2006 2:44:46 PM PDT by SmithL
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Senate voted 26-6 on Wednesday to unseat Sen. Ophelia Ford, accepting the recommendation of a committee that found her election "incurably uncertain."
The Senate, led by its GOP majority, voided the Memphis Democrat’s 13-vote victory over Republican Terry Roland in a September special election after a federal judge on Tuesday declined to intervene.
An investigative committee, which has been at work since late last year, recommended Ford be ousted after finding the election results were "incurably uncertain" because of 12 improper ballots. Two were cast in the names of voters and others came from felons and people from outside Senate District 29, the committee said.
Ford has contended the move is motivated by the Republicans’ slim 18-14 majority in the Senate.
This is the second time the Senate voted to void the election, but U.S. District Judge Bernice Donald stopped a similar effort in January after Ford sued. Donald ruled that the senators must follow consistent, statewide standards for invalidating ballots before overturning an election.
When Ford went back to Donald this week to stop Wednesday’s vote, the judge declined to intervene, saying she lacked enough information on the Senate committee’s procedures.
Ford wasn’t immediately available for comment on the vote. But her lawyer has said she would file a new petition with the court if the Senate voted to oust her.
She won the Democrat primary over Henri Brooks by 20 votes. Brooks challenged the primary election results saying that funny stuff had occured, but the State Democrat Executive committee refused to back her up for some reason. I suppose they didn't want to oppose the Fords. Their refusal to look into things has come back to haunt them.
The vote wasn't even close among Democrats. The 6 votes she got includes her own vote. Of the 13 Democrats other than her, over 60% voted to throw her out.
bump
Terry Roland should be seated without delay, the outrageousness that this racist bitch was ever allowed to take her seat... I see my State Senator (a Black liberal Dem) voted to keep her, no surprise there. I have no legislative representation at all.
Well, so Auntie Ophelia is no longer a Senator. Will there be a special election?
As far as I understand, the election will be in the fall. But this whole race is like bizarro world, all the rules and regulations that apply to candidacies and elections simply don't apply here.
So I take it these Fords you guys are talking about are not kin to Henry Ford?
It's funny to see people sue to become members of a club that doesn't want them as a member. Must be a lot of graft to suffer through the humiliaton of having so few friends and allies in the club that doesn't want you to join.
It didn`t suprise me Steve Cohen opposed the vote to oust
Ophelia,he`s almost as big a SB as her.
I`ve no doubt she`ll be back...unfortunally.
I wonder why she has that shiney face,she looks like
she`s been coated in polyurethane
Thanks!!!!!!!
Could be dems thought she'd hurt Harold Jr.'s chances come election time. Get her out now and there are a few months for voters to forget all about it.
Nor do I as long as SHE remains in office. I was in Mark Norris' district until they redistricted me into ford's. I still call Mark's office if I need anything, he still says he will represent me..knowing that I don't have it with a ford in that seat.
Well, at least you have Sen. Norris to call. I've got the choice between Sen. Thelma "The Mad Hatter" Harper or State Rep. Janis "WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH !!!" Sontany (she earned her nickname from the whining she used to do when I'd call her as a Councilmember -- I also have my personal suspicions how she has made her fortune, perhaps a very low-rent version of Duke Cunningham, if you catch my drift). I badly wanted to be in Sen. Mae Beavers district (I was previously in her horrid predecessor, Bob Rochelle's, district prior to redistricting), but no such luck. Now I hear that 250-lb Goreite turd wants to make a comeback, I hope my Wilson County neighbors flush him for good.
Auntie Ophelia will remind TN folks what the Ford Family is really about. No amount of out of state money will change that.
Rochelle is finished. The distict has changed to be more solidly conservative and less party dedicated.
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