Wilkerson says she'll step down -- as soon as possible
By John C. Drake, Globe Staff
State Senator Dianne Wilkerson -- whose resignation has been demanded by her State House colleagues and sought by prominent clergy members from her district -- promised today to resign the Senate seat she has held for 15 years, but she refused to say when.
Wilkerson hinted last week after her arrest on federal bribery charges that she would resign. At the time, she promised to provide more details about her departure today, following Tuesday's election.
With her defeat at the polls sealed, she said today she would resign ``as soon as humanly and responsibly possible.''
"I am committed to resigning my office as soon as I can do so consistent with my need to effectuate an orderly transition, including closing out hundreds of active constituent matters, filing and storing 16 years of files consisting of hundreds of boxes, assisting my current staff in finding new employment and putting related affairs in order," Wilkerson said in the statement released by her Senate office just after 5 p.m.
Wilkerson, who has a history of financial problems, makes about $1,400 a week in her job as senator. If she hangs on to her office until her term expires in January, she would qualify for an additional year of credit for her state pension, going from 16 years of service to 17 years and boosting her annual payment by almost $2,000, according to an on-line state pension calculator.
If she is convicted on the federal corruption charges against her, she might have to forfeit her state pension, but such a revocation would be at the discretion of the state Board of Retirement. Wilkerson did not respond to follow-up questions after releasing her statement.
Clergy members who called for her resignation last week did not respond to requests for comment today. Her statement today did not satisfy some Senate colleagues, who took an extraordinary vote last week calling on her to quit her post.
"I don't see how Senator Wilkerson can in any way effectively carry out any of her duties as a state senator at this point," said Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei. "We passed an order getting the Ethics Committee set up, and I'm sure if the perception is that she's not planning on resigning immediately, the Ethics Committee will plunge ahead into their work and bring a recommendation back to the Senate."
The Senate Ethics Committee is investigating her case and will make a recommendation to the Senate on whether to expel her. The Senate has the power, under state law, to remove one of its members. But its internal rules require it to undertake a Senate Ethics Committee investigation first.
"The Senate has made its wishes very clear," Senate President Therese Murray said in a statement. "The Senate Ethics Committee is engrossed in its work and will report to the Senate as soon as possible."
While Wilkerson contended that she wanted to work on an orderly transition, Chang-Diaz had yet to receive any calls from Wilkerson regarding Chang-Diaz's victory Tuesday night, said Deborah Shah, a spokeswoman for the senator-elect.
Chang-Diaz was out of the state attending a funeral of a family friend and was unavailable for comment, Shah said.
After losing to Chang-Diaz in the September Democratic Party primary, Wilkerson was in the throes of a long-shot write-in campaign for re-election when she was arrested on Oct. 28 on federal charges of accepting bribes to influence the granting of liquor licenses and procure financing for a development project.
Chang-Diaz, who had defeated Wilkerson in the primary, won the seat with 92 percent of the vote in Tuesday's general election.
John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.
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Is yesterday too soon to resign?
Classic..."humanly and responsibly" - not even sure what that means, but I think we need you out now. You are a criminal and have abused the trust of the people. Shame on those who continue to support you.
What a joke she can pick her own timetable, she should be in jail! She will probably still get some type of pension that is exactly what is wrong with Government!
Oh God, we're in for 'lingering death'. I agree with these folks. Now would be good. You are a stain in American politics. Please just go away.
hmmm. sounds like somebody is milking a paycheck for two more months.
Good riddance loser! Step aside PLEASE. You're embarrassing.
Who is she kidding? She will linger until the last paycheck of the year is issued.
She might as well stay now, Now that Deval will be appointed Master of the Universe by Obama, she can be Mrs Master of the Universe after our tax money pays for all her legal fees...thanks you stupid fools that voted 'no' on question 1.
GET OUT! Your staff can handle the transition and this is just a delay tactic. I'm certainly this woman is penniless and living on the edge
Drip ... drip ... drip ... the Chinese water torture Wilkerson style.
Does anybody have her prison address? I'd like to send her a get well card.
Please let me know
Whitey
She lost any right to have an office or collect a salary. Let Sonia follow-up on the constituent issues. The Senate should clear out her office and EXPEL HER IMMEDIATELY.
Most people that "continue to support" her do so under duress! Sonia won in a far bigger clobbering that DW would have and did it by being a good and honest person! Yayyyy! The felon is about to leave the building! (and, yes, she has pled guilty in the past, so I am not denying her due process)
In other words, she's not going anywhere any time soon...She's at it again!!
I still hope she takes every one of them down with her..If they were in on it they need to go too..
Just think, now you will pay for all her legal fees and a sweet golden parachute pension...all because you voted 'no' on question. Thanks a bunch you fools!
Hey, potential candidates out there, ya better hurry up and "snap up" her campaign manager before someone else does. Don't let that mishap about "not getting enough" signatures to get on the ballot two elections ago or failing to win a primary against an unknown fool ya, he's a genius. And don't forget some of Diane's ather staffers, just look at all the great advice she has gotten ofver the years.
Get out. You lose, you don't get to choose what happens next. FIN.
Am I the only one a little troubled by her talk of "filing and storing 16 years of files consisting of hundreds of boxes" ? This woman shouldn't be allowed within 100 feet of these documents. The criminal charges (and who knows, possible civil actions from the many companies who were unfairly harmed when she decided to procure benefits for others based on bribes) are going to require very rigid scrutiny of those 16 years worth of documents. I doubt this was the first time she accepted bribes, and I also doubt that she could have done this in a vacuum. If there are prior instances of this criminal abuse of the publics trust, or other members of the House that have aided her in this, we need to know about it.
This means, you know, that Dianne will clamp down tight on her seat until the last possible second. She may have done great things for the GLBT community (for which I shall be forever grateful), and she could deliver for some favorite constituents, but she threw it away because she couldn't manage her finances like a great many of us can't. She has a border line narcissistic personality and some kind of addiction. It's a real pity.
Cancers never leave the body voluntarily. I say let her milk her last few days of make believe respectability. She's pathetic and not worth too much time or effort.
How about a week ago, you conniving, Criminal? ! Don't let the State House door hit your arse on the way out...
How about a week ago, you conniving, Criminal? ! Don't let the State House door hit your arse on the way out...
No time like the present you tax cheat crook.
I assume, when she is convicted, her state pension will be denied as she used her office to steal. I wonder where in state/city government her employees will land, good jobs at good wages. No one else in their right minds would hire them. SHe already got one of her cronies a job with Deval doing minority business outreach.
She is really delusional. Why isn't she in jail? Probably using stolen monies for her defense. .and..did you see her slugging down water during the press barrage. This one has some you know whats. The world is going down the tubes with people like her.
amazing,, this stiff is gonna milk it as long as possible before miss Diaz boots her on her arse! Go Diaz!!!!!
Hmmmm, I wonder if she gets an entire years credit for her pension if she's still there on January 1st....
Any of the rest of us would be fired on the spot and escorted out of the building and off the premises by security
Come on guys, give Senator Wilkerson (D-Columbus Center Inc) a break. It takes plenty of time to "effectuate" destroying and hiding a lot of incriminating documents in a Massachusetts Senate office these days. Not to mention time spent to find all that cold cash stashed in hiding places around the office and stuff it in your apparel on the way out. You go, girl!
Come on guys, give Senator Wilkerson (D-Columbus Center Inc) a break. It takes plenty of time to "effectuate" destroying and hiding a lot of incriminating documents in a Massachusetts Senate office these days. Not to mention time spent, "as soon as possible," to find all that cold cash stashed in hiding places around the office and stuff it in your apparel on the way out. You go, girl!
You bet - the longer she is in.. full year added to pension.. even felons get full pensions in MA.. right Billy???
Thou art in real trouble, Honey. You are going down. Redeem yourself - Name names. Be a hero. You have one life. Make it stand for something.
Re: Johnny: Agreed, she and all her staff should be escorted out o fthe building and premises by security. 16 years of files can be dumped and burned. "Separations" are always difficulty. Goodbye.
If the Governor of New York could leave in 2 days, I imagine a state senator can do it in 1......
How has she not been kicked out already?
I would applaud for Wikerson's service in the jail. Please let me know her mailing address as I would send her a bra made of newspaper--at least it would cause the paper cut by stacking mint 100-dollar bills between her boobs.
This is a good reminder for any politicians, whatever card you can play(race, economy, war), do not step out of the line.
Just to lend clarification, If convicted, she loses her pension. This women is just milking every last paycheck.
Paul is right - the FBI had better be keeping an eye out on all her activities in the office. What a selfish, inconsiderate, abusive, self-serving crook.
But in any event - Congratulations Sonia Chang Diaz! 92.5% of the vote!
Even the Socialist party beat Wilkie by 250%! And those thousand losers who wrote Diane in? They must have gotten bribes from her.
How can we miss you if you won't go away?
Two words, blowhards: James Marzilli.
I think Dianne Wilkerson is mentally ill and has fallen through the cracks. Was she supposed to tell people she was sick? How is mental illness brought to the forefront anyway? Is it when her constituents start to observe her erratic behavior or when her fellow politicians notice that she is starting to degrade? Or maybe her staff starts to suspect that things "aren't quite right"?
I believe we have a woman here in severe mental distress who unfortunately hasn't had the support or overseers to usher her throught this very severe and desperate state. My heart goes out to all those intertwined with Ms. Wilkerson.
Hmmm. I wonder what other corruption she pushed on the Legislature and Governor's office in her pursuit of power using the race card as a weapon?
I saw you as such a personal hero when it came to marriage equality ..... then this ..... My heart is heavy knowing now that you went dirty ... What a pity. It's time to go now Dianne
In Wilkerson speak-``as soon as humanly and responsibly possible'' means until the date she qualifies for her pension (which, if I am not mistaken, is January 1, 2009) and not a day more. Shameless.
i think people have seen her walking to the restaurant on beacon hill adjusting her bra. usually her left cup a little bigger than the right.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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