(Nevada) Assembly casts historic vote to expel troubled lawmaker Brooks

[alp227]

Source: Las Vegas Sun

In a voice vote masking how each individual lawmaker sided, the Nevada Assembly made the unprecedented decision to expel one of their own — troubled Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas.

The decision came after hours of closed door deliberations and a three-hour long closed hearing on the evidence surrounding Brooks, including his two arrests, an involuntary psychiatric evaluation, an attempt to buy a high-powered rifle and a string of erratic outbursts.

A majority of "yays" sounded in the chamber after several speeches, some tearful, on the reasons to expel him. Only a handful of "nays" were heard. A crying Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick then declared Brooks' seat vacant.

"The truth is we did not feel safe having him in this building," Assembly Majority Leader William Horne said on the Assembly floor just before the vote.

Read more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/mar/28/historic-vote-oust-troubled-state-lawmakers-immine/

[loudsue]

1. How in the hell did this guy get elected to public office? Who financed his campaign?

WTF is up with this???

[DRoseDARs]

2. I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself. This seems more like he had underlining issues...

...that have come to the fore. Some psychological issues can erupt suddenly, mini-strokes could alter personalities, there any number of ways this could just be medical rather than some dickbag flying under the radar and getting elected.

[loudsue]

3. Maybe so. It just seems so peculiar.

I haven't seen this kind of thing before, but I could see the republicans buying this guy into office if he was mentally disturbed to begin with. Sort of like they did in South Carolina.....

[raccoon]

5. Are you referring to Todd Kincannon? nt

[cosmicone]

4. He may have early manifestations of dementia

from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or Huntington's disease.

[brush]

6. This is the skinny

Last edited Fri Mar 29, 2013, 12:02 PM - Edit history (1)

My wife once worked for the Las Vegas Urban League where Brooks was on the board. He was not the executive director, mind you. He ruled the place like a little Napolean, chastising workers cruelly in front of other workers, firing people. He helped to force out three executive directors in a span of five years. My wife used to come home complaining about him all the time.

This behavior of his was not well known to the public and he somehow got elected a term ago (he had ties to a city councilman). In his first term he flew below the radar not producing any legislation, but before the convening of the legislature for the beginning of his second term committee assignments were handed out and he felt he didn't get what he deserved. This is what set him off. Imagine, a sophomore assemblyman who had accomplished nothing expecting to be in a leadership position. He actually threatened the Speaker and was stopped by police in January with a loaded gun in his car. The reason he was stopped is he made the threats openly to others and someone alerted police.

Thank God they voted him out, and what took them so long?

[loudsue]

7. That's kind of what I was wondering about. I can't imagine that the legislature would

run someone off before they did a thorough investigation. It appears that Brooks was showing signs of instability that finally went over the edge. I'm sure they had spoken with people who had known him for a while before they did anything. Prolly even his wife, who he had evidently assaulted in the home, ie the domestic violence complaint. His wife, I'm sure, knew that he had gotten worse.

If this country had some mature way of dealing with mental problems.....even our insurance industry is way behind on getting people help.....instead of being in denial that they exist....we'd maybe get somewhere with angry people with guns.

[brush]

8. Yes, as a country we certainly need to fix . . .

. . . both the mental health care laxity and the too-many-guns problem as, like you said, mature adults. IMHO we've indulged the adolescent, cowboy/G.I. Joe fantasy of too many non-responsible gun owners for too long. I have no problem with responsible gun owners who know they don't need 30 round magazines nor automatic, even semi-automatic, military-style weapons to hunt or protect their home, when a shotgun blast would probably be even more effective in scaring off an intruder.

[enlightenment]

12. They had to invent a procedure to do it.

There was nothing in the Legislature's rule book to cover this situation. It wasn't that they didn't realize he needed to be removed - for his own good if not for the good of others and the state - they just didn't know how to do it at first.

It is unfortunate that there isn't some way to ensure he gets the help he needs.

[Posteritatis]

9. The whole thing is sad. (nt)

[bigworld]

10. Latest: he's been arrested in California

http://www.rgj.com/viewint/article/20130329/NEWS07/303290040/Ex-Nev-assemblyman-Steven-Brooks-arrested-hours-after-expulsion-watch-video-

Guy's on an awful downward spiral it seems.

[hack89]

11. He has had a very bad day to say the least. nt

[madville]

13. Charged with four felonies

As
Assaulting police, hitting a K-9 with a wrench, fleeing and throwing objects from a vehicle(at the cops I would assume). He is still due back at trial in Nevada for another felony as well, he won't have to worry about food and shelter for awhile anyway.