The end of a long journey for John Lightfoot
Someone somewhere is going to be talking about this so I’ll start. From the D&C:
City Councilman John Lightfoot called the past year “a long journey,” and spoke Tuesday of the opportunity he had in moving on from a third drunken driving conviction to be a better person for his family and community.
In the end Mr. Lightfoot received 3 years probation, must do community service, is in an outpatient program for 8 weeks, and has his license revoked, which he can reapply for at some point as long as the vehicle has a alcohol detecting device attached to the ignition. He also had to pay nearly $800.
All for blowing .14 and being involved in an alcohol-related accident. It was his third conviction - 2 nearly back to back convictions 10 years ago and this one.
Is it fair compared to other NY State sentences in you have heard about? I don’t know but I do know this.
I wouldn’t want to trade places with Mr. Lightfoot.
Related posts:
not sure about the fairness of his specific conviction, but it general terms it seems unfair. drinking and driving is very serious and the punishments listed are not exactly steep, considering his past. blowing .14 and causing a car accident is shameful. and hopefully the voters let him know next year that they are disappointed in his actions.
3rd conviction? Sounds fair to me. 10 years ago isn’t that long anyway.
Yeah, just to clarify - the punishment he got is at least what he deserves. This post seems to be implying that maybe he was punished too severely with the line about “all for blowing….” I strongly disagree that he was punished too severely.
Gotta agree with Andrea.
Most with experience in DWI enforcement will attest that a .14 for most people is stumble down sloppy drunk.
That said, whether punishment is the most effective way to handle drunk driving is debatable.
For many that level of intoxication is a symptom of a larger problem that isn’t solved by punishment.
I think he got off light. If he were MY councilman, I’d have been on the phone asking for a resignation since back when he got popped. I expect more from my public officials.
This post is not meant to imply too severely or too lightly. It was meant to solicit opinion of severity.
Yep - good point
I agree with Hep here..you know back when the Fossella thing broke people here were itching for his resignation. I think Lightfoot needs to do the same.
“people here were itching for his resignation”
I don’t know that to be true having just reread the several posts we wrote at that time. - we reported rumors of Fossella’s resignation but that didn’t pan out.
Of course Fossella was arrested in a different jurisdiction which carries different legal requirements.
I’m still undecided here. Maybe because when I was in the service I had a troop supposedly blow a .20 (yes not a typo). I have had to get him out of lock up. The initial MP report stated he acted normal in fact they were really surprised he wasn’t acting more intoxicated. He didn’t look drunk to me either. So this guy had apparently built a significant tolerance.
Now before that story is questioned yes the test could be wrong but the point is tolerance.
That is why Publius’s earlier comment provides a lot of insight.
either way, i am not tolerant of public officials acting personally irresposible in a way that can do harm publically. if an official is an alocholic, fine, those are demons some face. but putting the community at large at risk by driving drunk, that is inexcusable.
Not to mention stupid. Doesn’t matter what his tolerance level is. With prior convictions, he better stay off the road if he even has one drink. Why risk it?
Interesting -
There are a lot of aspects to this apparently - all good points and valued opinions.
Sort of gives you new respect for a judge given they have to sort through the evidence, arguments and deliver a sentence. Certainly not an easy job.
I know John personally - he’s a hell of a good person, selfless and committed to public service, volunteerism, his hood and his city. This sucks for him. He screwed up bad.
I don’t know that I hold public officials to a higher standard when it comes to personal life. If something happens in someones personal life that affects their ability to serve, that’s a different story.
Having said that, John is a good man, but he obviously has a problem here. I am not saying a drinking problem, I am just saying a problem .. maybe he is unable to tell how intoxicated he is, maybe he has other crap going on taht is impairing his judgement … the point is, rather than take away his position that he has done a stellar job in, I suggest he get some help with whatever is driving this issue besides the outpatient treatment.
Also, I do not think that DWI or DUI is a small issue. It’s serious stuff and is a matter of life and death. I think his punishment is resonable, if not light.
what exactly has he done to be considered stellar?
stlo7
Here is what I was referring to…seems like I reread the posts too!
but feel free to pick apart anything else I said and I will happily back it up.
Comment by Rottenchester
2008-05-12 19:31:44
First, I envy you, NY13.
Second, I changed my mind on Vito today. He’s going to have to resign.
That’s it? That passes for “clamoring”? If it works for you fine but I think it is a stretch. I really am not trying to be picky I responded to your comment.
But with Vito. Did he resign? No
If I remember right, many of us were actually hoping he WOULDN’T resign, so it would be an easier seat to flip.
As for Lightfoot, I don’t know enough about his work in City Council. Can anyone fill me in?
[...] wrong Lightfoot Mr [...]