James Stokes celebrated his victory in Lawrence's School Committee race last month. Now, he's under investigation.
(Erik Jacobs for the Boston Globe)
LAWRENCE
A newly elected Lawrence School Committee member, already under scrutiny for his criminal record, is facing new questions over whether he served in the military as he asserted during his election campaign.
Mayor Michael J. Sullivan confirmed that the city clerk's office is investigating whether James Stokes falsified election documents by claiming he was a military veteran.
Stokes, who had said at voter forums that he served 20 years in the Marines, does not show up in military records, according to Captain B.E. Binstock, a spokeswoman for the Marines. Binstock told the Globe last week the Marines have no record of a James Stokes with either of the two birth dates Stokes had used on his documents. The dates of birth would make him either 63 or 65 today.
In a phone interview with the Globe last week, Stokes said he served six years in the Marines. When asked to state his years of service, he said, "I don't want to talk anymore. My head hurts."
Jeannette Stokes, 60, of Lowell, who says she was married to Stokes from 1965 to 1977, said her former husband "never served a day in his life" in the Marines or any other armed services branch.
Two of James Stokes's three estranged children also said he did not serve in the military.
"He was never a Marine," said Donna Stokes, 40.
"He didn't serve in the Marines; I did," said James Stokes Jr., who says he served from 1985 to 1987 before being honorably discharged for an injury.
Sullivan said Stokes may have to resign his seat if city officials conclude he misrepresented himself to voters. The new School Committee is scheduled to be sworn into office the first week of January.
"We're dealing with possible election fraud here," Sullivan said. "We will be consulting with our city attorney to see what the next step would be."
Brian McNiff, a spokesman for the sec retary of state's office, said it is up to the city charter and School Committee rules to decide if Stokes can serve if he falsely stated he was a veteran.
Stokes defeated incumbent Greg Morris last month for the District F seat on the School Committee after running unsuccessfully for various offices in Lawrence and Lowell in previous years. Stokes promised that, if elected, he would vote to fire Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy and work to push for more police presence in schools.
Laboy declined to comment about Stokes.
Meanwhile, a criminal background check by the Globe showed that Stokes was arrested in 1963 on charges of larceny and forgery, and was convicted the following year. In addition, he was charged in Lowell District Court with forgery, larceny, and uttering, and in Newbury District Court in 1986 with a compulsory-insurance violation .
Records in Lowell District Court indicate that Stokes was sentenced to serve three months in a house of correction for forging documents related to a raffle and a bazaar in 1986. The insurance violation resulted in a $125 fine.
Asked about the convictions, Stokes acknowledged that he had served three months in jail for the 1964 conviction but said that he did not serve time in the 1986 case. He said he "was underage" at the time of the earlier case; records, however, indicate that he would have been 19 or 21 when he was arrested.
"My past is my past," said Stokes, who contends those arrests should have no bearing on his role as a School Committee member. "I'm trying to move on with my life."
Stokes said he would resign if he felt the publicity about his criminal record would affect his family. He would not elaborate.
Records from North Carolina also show that Stokes served at least three months in prison there in 1974 for cheating someone over property and services.
Stokes denied serving time in North Carolina. But records show that a James Stokes with the same date of birth and Social Security number was in jail there in 1974. And Jeannette Stokes said that shortly after Stokes left her and their three children in 1971, she received a call from police in North Carolina looking for information about Stokes.
Sullivan, who chairs the School Committee, said he believes Stokes's criminal record does not legally prevent him from serving on the School Committee. "At the same time," said Sullivan, "it may bring questions to the credibility of his votes."
School Committee member James Vittorioso said Stokes can still function as a member. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," said Vittorioso, referring to the verse in the Bible in John 8:7. "We all have things in our past we aren't proud of. Let the man serve. He won."
Vittorioso blamed Laboy's "henchmen" for digging up dirt on Stokes to discredit him.
But, asked about the questions surrounding Stokes's military record, Vittorioso, a veteran, said if it turned out that Stokes was lying about his service, "then he has problems."
According to Lawrence school district rules, if Stokes resigns or is not allowed to take his seat, the second-place finisher, Morris, would take the position.
On Friday, Morris submitted a letter to the city clerk asking that Stokes be prevented from taking office until the investigation into his military service is completed.
Though the School Committee seat is his first elected position, Stokes is no stranger at City Hall. For years, he had been a regular speaker at City Council and School Committee meetings. He has been a volunteer for the Toys for Tots Foundation and has been a visible figure at area events for veterans and disadvantaged children.
Richard Padova, a government professor at Northern Essex Community College, said he could not recall another elected official in Lawrence whose background has been called into question the way Stokes's has.
"We've had some colorful characters in the past," Padova said. "But nothing like this."
He said he doubts that Stokes can survive the bad publicity and should just resign.
"He'd have to do a major one-on-one PR campaign to survive," said Padova. "I don't see that happening."
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
