Cambridge's Finest Taxi Service

Was hoping someone would notice, Jimmy :)

Therese Murray just issued her response: "I am very disappointed, and the Senate will be prepared to act when there is a final disposition of his court case and all allegations." Which sets the clock ticking on Galluccio's term in office, but strikes me as wholly inadequate. It's one thing to withhold judgment of a public official charged with a crime who proclaims his innocence, even when things look bad. That seems to serve the interests of fairness. But at the moment, Galluccio won't even explain his actions to his constituents, issuing a tepid: "This is an ongoing legal process. Out of respect to all parties involved, I cannot comment until the process is completed."

If Galluccio is unwilling or unable to defend himself or offer any comprehensible explanation for his actions, and won't resign of his own volition, then the Senate should demand an explanation, on penalty of expulsion. If Galluccio feels an honest accounting would expose him to significant legal jeopardy, he's welcome to resign instead of offering one. And if he won't, he should be expelled. The office he holds is a privilege, not a right. If he thinks he's entitled to hold on to it, let him resign and run again - let his constituents decide his fate, based on what we now know.

The Cambridge Police also have a fair amount to answer for here. There was a compelling public interest in the release of this information when the original requests were filed by multiple media organizations. Legalistic hairsplitting - no one was initially aware of the earlier incident, and so it was not specifically requested in the filings - doesn't get them off the hook. In accounting for its actions on the 4th, it could and should have included this earlier incident, which is highly relevant to what occurred. Of course, the Police were probably hoping the whole thing would die down quietly - easier than explaining whether it's standard procedure to ferry inebriated citizens home, and answering questions about special treatment. I certainly hope that media organizations have now filed open-ended requests for all documents detailing interactions between Senator Galluccio and the CPD. Who knows what else is in the files?

The report doesn't say that he asked his friend to drive him home. In fact, it says that Galluccio's car was left behind at the club, and that the friend didn't even know where Galluccio lived. So it's possible that Galluccio did the right thing, recognized he was drunk, and asked his friend for help, even though he wasn't sober enough to tell that friend where he lived. But even with the glossiest imaginable spin, that means he drove to a club, got wasted without planning any alternative means of getting home, and had to leave his car there. Based on everything else we've learned about this guy, I think it's much more likely that his friend intervened, took Galluccio's keys from him, and tried to drive him home.