The unfortunate case of state Assembly Rep. Jeff Wood, an independent from Chippewa Falls, got a little more interesting Wednesday, or perhaps the proper word is puzzling.
Wood has been arrested three times in the last year for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, yet he showed up on the Assembly floor for a vote on the legislature's new drunken driving legislation - and he voted in favor of it, the Associated Press reported. The bill criminalizes certain first offenses and makes a fourth offense a felony. The bill passed 93-1 in the Assembly and 33-0 in the Senate.
In December 2008, we wrote Wood should resign: "For Wood to continue serving in a position of public trust, at a time lawmakers would be working to crack down on drunken driving, would send a hypocritical and wrong message."
That is still true after three offenses.
His latest incident occurred when he was stopped on Interstate 39 near Wausau after his vehicle was reported as being driven recklessly. The State Patrol found prescription pills in the vehicle and noticed Wood looked sleepy. That arrest came less than a year after Wood was charged with drunken driving and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Before being arrested, Wood drove onto the center median, drifted into a snowbank and smashed through a caution sign, going airborne before careening back onto the road. Then he kept driving at erratic speeds, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, until he was pulled over a few minutes later. In that incident, Wood had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit in Wisconsin.
An Assembly committee is considering whether to recommend the full body strip him of his job, but until that happens, Wood is still a member of the Assembly and as such has the right to vote on any bill he wants.
In this case, it sends the wrong message to the public that he can do this behavior, but then wants to punish others who do it.
He might be well-intentioned by making a vote on an issue that would have impacted the repercussions of his own behavior. Perhaps his vote on the bill allows Wood to exercise remorse for his actions. Regardless, it is surprising Wood would show up to vote on a bill so obviously related to his very public personal transgressions. Wood did not say to the reporters following him once he was spotted on the Assembly floor what his motives were for voting in favor of the bill.
Wood needs to seek help for the substance abuse problems that have plagued him for years, and maintaining his position in the state Assembly will only continue to shame the district he represents. As we have stated, to show that drunk driving has serious consequences, he should resign immediately.
Wood has been arrested three times in the last year for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, yet he showed up on the Assembly floor for a vote on the legislature's new drunken driving legislation - and he voted in favor of it, the Associated Press reported. The bill criminalizes certain first offenses and makes a fourth offense a felony. The bill passed 93-1 in the Assembly and 33-0 in the Senate.
In December 2008, we wrote Wood should resign: "For Wood to continue serving in a position of public trust, at a time lawmakers would be working to crack down on drunken driving, would send a hypocritical and wrong message."
That is still true after three offenses.
His latest incident occurred when he was stopped on Interstate 39 near Wausau after his vehicle was reported as being driven recklessly. The State Patrol found prescription pills in the vehicle and noticed Wood looked sleepy. That arrest came less than a year after Wood was charged with drunken driving and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Before being arrested, Wood drove onto the center median, drifted into a snowbank and smashed through a caution sign, going airborne before careening back onto the road. Then he kept driving at erratic speeds, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, until he was pulled over a few minutes later. In that incident, Wood had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit in Wisconsin.
An Assembly committee is considering whether to recommend the full body strip him of his job, but until that happens, Wood is still a member of the Assembly and as such has the right to vote on any bill he wants.
In this case, it sends the wrong message to the public that he can do this behavior, but then wants to punish others who do it.
He might be well-intentioned by making a vote on an issue that would have impacted the repercussions of his own behavior. Perhaps his vote on the bill allows Wood to exercise remorse for his actions. Regardless, it is surprising Wood would show up to vote on a bill so obviously related to his very public personal transgressions. Wood did not say to the reporters following him once he was spotted on the Assembly floor what his motives were for voting in favor of the bill.
Wood needs to seek help for the substance abuse problems that have plagued him for years, and maintaining his position in the state Assembly will only continue to shame the district he represents. As we have stated, to show that drunk driving has serious consequences, he should resign immediately.
