James F. Stokes spoke with reporters outside the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse after his arraignment Wednesday.
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
Lawrence's embattled new School Committee member, James F. Stokes, resigned yesterday, city officials said, two days after federal agents arrested him on a charge that he forged a military document.
Mayor Michael J. Sullivan said the city clerk received a faxed, one-sentence letter from Stokes yesterday announcing his immediate resignation.
The letter was typed but unsigned, so city officials drafted another letter and brought it to Stokes's house yesterday afternoon. He signed it.
"I think it was clear the longer Jim held onto the seat, the more the veterans are going to be vocal," Sullivan said last night. "By resigning he did what's in the best interest of the children of Lawrence."
Stokes, 63, did not return phone calls to his home last night.
The announcement paved the way for the city to plan the swearing-in of Greg Morris, Stokes's onetime political rival.
On Wednesday, Stokes was arrested by FBI agents and arraigned on a federal charge that he had forged a military discharge document that described him as the recipient of numerous medals. Stokes had indicated that he was a veteran on election paperwork he filed with the city last summer, which resulted in his name appearing as a veteran on the primary ballot.
Speaking outside the courthouse after Wednesday's hearing, Stokes had said he planned to return to Lawrence for the Thursday night School Committee meeting. But he did not show up.
Many veterans did, though, expressing their anger and disappointment toward his nameplate and empty seat.
"The room was full of veterans who came to speak against him," said Sullivan, who is also chairman of the School Committee. "With all the media there, it was a pretty intense thing. I think he finally saw that and resigned."
Stokes's military service had been questioned before, during his previously unsuccessful bids for public office. To counter the questions, he supplied the city's director of veterans services with a document in 2006 that said he served with the Marines in Vietnam in the late 1960s and received a half-dozen medals, including a Purple Heart.
In November, he defeated Morris for the District F School Committee seat, winning by about 900 votes, Sullivan said.
Stokes then volunteered to play Santa Claus at a recent holiday celebration, and city officials ran a routine background check. They learned Stokes had served short sentences for larceny and forgery in 1964 and 1986. Soon after the revelations, Stokes's family members contacted city officials and the media to urge them to review his military service statements.
FBI investigators determined that the documents were phony and arrested him at a doughnut shop early Wednesday.
He is scheduled to appear in court next on Jan. 29.
Morris could not be reached for comment last night. Sullivan said he could be sworn into office as early as Monday.
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
