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Bay County GOP asks Sansom to resign

Posted Sep 8, 2009 by Catherine Dolinski, Tallahassee bureau

Updated Sep 8, 2009 at 05:56 PM

Even if Rep. Ray Sansom is legally not guilty of the felony charges against him, “there’s a higher bar” he failed to meet as a publicly elected official, Bay County GOP chairman John Salak said today.

The county Republican committee voted 16-7 by email yesterday to call on Sansom to resign from office, even as the former House Speaker waits to hear whether he will stand trial later this month.

Sansom faces both criminal charges and ethics probes relating to his handling of a $6-million appropriation. The next pre-trial hearing in the case is scheduled for 10 am tomorrow.

Salak, who thinks that Sansom should have resigned long ago, said the GOP committee members debated at length by email whether to ask Sansom to resign now, or wait until the court has judged him. Sansom has consistently denied wrongdoing.

“If you wait until after he’s found guilty, and then make a comment about it, you’re just pointing out the obvious and ‘piling on,’” Salak said. “We’re taking a stand; regardless of whether he’s found guilty legally, there’s a higher bar that he should meet in representing the citizens of the state of Florida.”

Sansom’s district office referred questions to his attorney, Stephen Dobson, who said it was “disappointing” that “people are jumping to conclusions” before the evidence in the case has been presented.

Here’s an excerpt from the Bay County GOP’s resolution—which manages to pack in some tough gibes about “crooked Democrats” as well:

WHEREAS Rep. Ray Sansom at least had the grace to resign his new position as Speaker Of The Florida House, but has refused to resign his Seat as a Member of the Florida House ... and WHEREAS Rep. Ray Sansom’s conduct brings shame and disgrace upon all of us fellow Republicans because, wherever venality and corruption and incompetence overwhelm an office, public confidence in our laws are corroded and evaporate; and WHEREAS Rep. Ray Sansom’s conduct is doubly embarrassing for Republicans, because it is the type of conduct, when performed by Democrats, which provided us Republicans with our appeal to the Florida voters to toss out the crooked Democrats, so that ethical Republicans can provide government at the State and Local level in Florida. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BAY COUNTY (FLA.) REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, IN REGULAR SESSION, issues its call to Ray Sansom to resign his seat in the Florida House Of Representatives, so that ethically clean Republicans can stand for election to the vacated position in a special election called by the Florida Governor ....

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