| January 12, 2009 | Volume 84, Number 6 | |
|
|
Sense of entitlementWe have all heard about the sense of the entitlement some people think they are due, but a former state senator in Massachusetts who recently resigned after four women charged him with sexual harassment must be close to winning the prize. James Marzilli Jr., who is 50 and would not be eligible for Social Security benefits until he is 67, is demanding that he receive a pension of $27,000 a year. He cites a state law that allows elected officials under age 55 who have more than 20 years of service to boost their pensions if they fail to win re-election. That law seems ridiculous in itself, but Mr. Marzilli chose not to run for re-election because it was almost certain that he would lose. Here’s why: Mr. Marzilli was arrested last June after he sat on a park bench in Lowell, Mass., in mid-afternoon and made lewd comments and sexual advances to a woman sitting there. She forcibly resisted his advances and police quickly arrived. Mr. Marzilli gave a false name, then ran from the police but was captured in a nearby parking garage. When news of his arrest was made public, three other women came forward with similar stories of harassment. Mr. Marzilli, who had won a special election to the state senate the previous December, knew he couldn’t be re-elected because of the loud public outcry about his behavior. He bowed out of his re-election campaign but intended to serve until his term expired in January. He had previously served in the Massachusetts House for 17 years. But after demands that he resign continued, he finally did so in November. A trial on the charges will take place this April. In the meantime he has denied all charges against him and claims he suffers from bipolar disorder. It is a claim his wife backs up. It recently came to light that he went to Germany in October where he represented Massachusetts at an international conference where he was a panel member in a discussion on “Greening the Economy.” No state funds were used to finance the trip because conference organizers paid for his airfare and hotel accommodations. It is almost laughable when Mr. Marzilli’s lawyer defends his foreign travel. “There is absolutely no prohibition to him traveling anywhere but Lowell,” said Terrence W. Kennedy, the attorney. “There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.” Mr. Marzilli travels to Germany to be part of an international panel, but there is obviously a restraining order against him in a city which came under his jurisdiction when he served as senator. In a strange way, Mr. Kennedy is right. But Mr. Marzilli’s sense of entitlement to a $27,000 a year pension for serving less than a year and then deciding not to seek re-election is an insult to the hardworking taxpayer. Let’s stay tuned to see what happens.
About Us | Archives | Around | Articles | Columns | Contact Us | Hispanic Apostolate | Home | Letters | Opportunities | Parish Profile | Shortakes | The Catholic Diocese of RichmondCopyright © 2007 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Dietzen’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.The Catholic Virginian is a biweekly publication serving the people of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. This website includes some, but not all, of the articles from the print version of The Catholic Virginian.For subscription information Contact Us. |