It’s well known that Mayor Michael Coleman’s wife, Frankie Coleman, was charged with driving under the influence on Oct. 20 after she struck a parked car. Her blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit of 0.08, registering 0.271. The statement the Coleman family issued regarding this event stated, “Michael and I thank all of our friends, our family and the residents of Ohio who have called with their prayers and support today. I take full responsibility for my actions and I fully acknowledge and regret my mistake.” Apparently, Mrs. Coleman is not taking full responsibility for her actions.
The Nov. 4 edition of The Columbus Dispatch reported that Coleman’s attorneys are trying to find a loophole to keep her from spending three days in jail. Ohio law requires any motorist with a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 or higher to spend at least three days in jail and three days in a treatment center. The Colemans’ attorneys are asserting that the officer who conducted the breathalyzer had an expired certificate, which allows him to accurately perform the test. They believe the certificate was not renewed in time, while Bexley’s police department say otherwise.
These are the types of actions that make our judicial system appear repulsive. It’s all too easy to subvert justice if you have money or power. The arresting officer spent 16 hours in an alcohol-testing course. I couldn’t imagine spending that much time in a class learning about a machine you can buy in key-chain form for $9.99. Whether the officer’s certificate was mailed late should be irrelevant – anybody spending that amount of time should be a lifelong expert. What should be relevant is that Mrs. Coleman violated state law and hit a parked car. The punishment for this type of reckless endangerment might not be fitting. However, it should be an open-and-shut case – she should take full responsibility like her statement claimed and serve the three days in jail. One of her attorneys, Mark A. Serrott, said, “We don’t think she should be treated any better or worse than any other person.” I agree that she shouldn’t be. Now it would be time for Serrott to withdraw the foot from his mouth and stay true to his words. I would imagine that few people are able to escape this law. I would also imagine that few people are able to afford pluralizing the word attorney like Mrs. Coleman. Granted, Mrs. Coleman’s attorneys are just doing their jobs, but that’s exactly what scares me. Their jobs involve finding ways to undermine justice.
Ohio Democrats have been taking a beating at the hands of the Republicans. Now that scandal surrounds the latter, it seems to be the perfect time for the former to cease the opportunities. If the Democrats want change, specifically for the gubernatorial position, I don’t see Mayor Coleman as the savior. First, he embarrassed himself on Glenn Beck’s national radio show when talking about a sexual assault that occurred at a Columbus high school. He was outraged because he thought Beck was questioning his manhood when asked if the incident offended him as a man and a father. Now his wife is driving under the influence and only wants to accept partial responsibility because of a possible technicality. Democrats are continually espousing an anti-Republican government that will “end the culture of corruption.” This is a positive direction and a good rallying point, but replacing that type of government with a Mayor Coleman model probably won’t do much for the cause. Somebody call Jerry Springer – take care of yourselves, and each other.
Chad Snow is a senior in political science and Chinese. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
