Sunday, September 8, 2019

Massachusetts: Fall River Mayor, who lost a recall vote but won replacement race, now facing another indictment over bribery/extortion charges with marijuana vendors to remain in office

Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II (D), who lost a recall vote in March yet won his seat in the five candidate replacement race, is once again under indictment, though this time on bribery and extortion charges over his dealings with marijuana vendors.

Correia faced the recall after being indicted for stealing from investors and tax fraud. He lost the recall run overwhelmingly, 7829-4911. However, Massachusetts allows a candidate facing a recall to run in the replacement race (not that uncommon a provision). In this case, Correia was one of five candidates. He came in first with about 35% of the vote, beating out City Councilor Joseph Camara, School Committee member Paul Coogan, School administrator Kyle Riley and Erica Scott-Pacheco.

Can Correia face another recall? Looking at the recall provision he can, though not until 270 days after his last one. The Fall River recall provision does not contain a "double jeopardy" clause (preventing two recalls in one term). However, even if if it did, I suspect that would be inoperative. Correia is on a second term -- this term would probably be seen as a separate one from the one he was recalled from. 

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