Should drunk drivers remain in office?

Should a drunk driving arrest disqualify an elected official from remaining in office? If so, should that apply to the holders of all offices?

Two years ago, State Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack resigned the day after he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. But the mayor of Helper, Utah, Dean Armstrong, seems to be hanging in there despite telling the trooper who pulled him over, “I am not going to be able to walk the test. I’m going to stand down. Take me in,” according to the arrest report.
So much for a mayor who can walk the walk.
Do a quick Google search on “mayor dui arrest” and watch the hits pile up like an interstate chain reaction.
Drunk-driving politicians are not rare animals. But drunk driving mayors who resign do seem to be rare.
Highwood, Ill., Mayor Charlie Pecaro admitted having five glasses of wine before driving his wife home from a Labor Day dinner party last September. “I let my guard down,” he said. That’s an understatement. His blood registered .0129 percent alcohol. The legal limit is .08.
He was lucky he didn’t let some guard rails down.
Downington, Pa., Mayor Josh Maxwell said he was embarrassed and regretful after his arrest last August while driving with blood that was between 0.10 to 0.16 percent juiced.
“Sorry” also described how Fort Valley, Ga., Mayor John Stumbo felt after his .087 BAC test in late September. No doubt he was sorry that a mere 7 hundredths of a percent separated his bad day from a not-so-bad one.
My favorite is Marinette, Wis., Mayor Robert Harbick, who was caught on a dash-cam joking with the members of his police force who pulled him over, referring more than once to a sexual act he would rather be enjoying than undergoing an arrest.
At least Harbick had the decency to later announce he would not seek re-election. I can find no evidence that any of the others have offered to leave office.
Maybe it’s because I saw the graphic evidences of drunken driving so much when I was a police reporter years ago in Las Vegas. I don’t buy into the old cultural wink-and-shrug attitude toward drunks as humorous or excusable. Too often, they kill people.
DUI fatalities are down in this country. That’s a good thing. But that statistics hasn’t made the practice any safer.
I know folks are to be considered innocent until proven otherwise, but in each of these instances the evidence is damning.
This isn’t just another traffic citation. Public office holders, whether in the Legislature, a mayor or a county assessor, should have more respect for the people they serve.