This is as good a reason not to run for re-election than any:
Arrested last week on charges he abused his position to imprison a 20-year-old Trainer man during a drunken, gun-wielding encounter at his home in February, Marcus Hook Mayor James “Jay” Schiliro has dropped his bid for re-election. But he said Wednesday he plans to finish out his term as mayor.
And the details of what happened make it clear that they couldn’t be used to win votes and might be hard for a p.r. person to spin:
Before his arrest, Schiliro said he was planning to run for re-election and hoped voters would forgive his behavior. The embattled mayor blamed the incident on a problem with alcohol and said he is seeking treatment.
Schiliro, 38, of the 1000 block of Green Street, surrendered a week ago today on charges of official oppression, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and providing alcohol to a minor, all misdemeanor offenses. He is free on $50,000 unsecured bail, with conditions prohibiting firearms possession and contact with the young Trainer man.
A preliminary hearing is pending assignment of a new court, due to a conflict of interest with Magisterial District Judge David Griffin in Linwood.
Authorities allege that late on the evening of Feb. 21, Schiliro contacted the young man by text message and had a Marcus Hook police officer deliver him to his borough home. There, with Schiliro’s 13-year-old daughter sleeping upstairs, the mayor allegedly gave the young man alcohol and produced three firearms, one of which was fired into papers inside the house.
During the encounter, the mayor repeatedly asked the young man if he could give him oral sex, according to court documents. Schiliro is not charged with any sex-related offenses.
Yes, when you look at these allegations, re-election might have been tough.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.