Corpus – Politics in Sanctaria’s second city took a turn for a worse earlier today when Mayor Stacy Devisers was served with impeachment papers by the city’s council. Devisers, currently half-way through her second term, is charged with embezzlement of public funds and disgrace of high office in the articles of impeachment published by the chairman of the council’s ethics committee.
The articles, signed by 7 of the 13 members of the ethics committee, accuse the Sanctarian Conservative Party Mayor of defrauding the city’s expenses system with the intention of financial gain and, in that endeavour, disgracing the mayoral office that she holds. In the debate preceding the vote, councillors claimed that inconsistencies in financial reports as well as failure to vouch for the minimum 60% of expenses were grounds for the articles of impeachment being served. Dissenting voters claimed that “petty partisan differences” were the real reason behind this unusual and controversial use of powers reserved to the city council.
Devisers, a popular Mayor, has recently been embroiled in battle with the city’s council, led by the DLP, over her plans to privatise the city’s rubbish collection services. The plans, which could save the city over S£67m annually, have caused a rift among council members in all parties who feel the city should remain in control of sanitation services; Devisers, who is directly elected, claims that the public are behind her, the privatisation plan having been a pivotal part of her recent re-election campaign.
The articles must now go to the full council, currently comprised of 45 members (24 of which are opposition DLP), to be voted upon. If Devisers is impeached then a special election will be called to either select a new Mayor of Corpus, or to overturn the impeachment and allow Devisers to remain in office. Many agree that if the council does indeed impeach Devisers, the public are unlikely to agree with them and demand that Devisers stay in office, such is her popularity; it is therefore expected that the council will vote to reject the articles of impeachment, with some DLP members opting to allow Devisers continue in office.
The vote goes to the full council at their next fortnightly meeting, due to take place this Thursday, February 9.
JOSHUA ALEXANDER, Corpus Editor
