It may be a partisan shot but state Sen. Robert Hedlund is right on target in asking that indicted colleague Sen. James Marzilli be suspended pending the outcome of the felony indecent assault charges against him.
The Weymouth Republican asked Senate President Therese Murray of Plymouth to, at the least, take away Marzilli's $7,500 bonus that goes with being chairman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development.
Yes, Marzilli, who is not seeking re-election this fall, is innocent until proven guilty. But when a police officer, teacher, or any other public employee is charged with a felony, he or she is suspended, either with or without pay. The same rule should apply to elected officials.
Kicking Marzilli out of the Senate would require proceedings by the Senate's Committee on Ethics and Rules, which are time-consuming and, in this case, largely pointless: Marzilli has already said he will not return to the Senate to cast a vote.
But as a chairman, Marzilli is a member of the Senate leadership team and sits at the pleasure of the Senate President. If he won't show up for work, why keep giving him the extra pay?
Marzilli, a Democrat form Arlington, has claimed he suffers from bipolar disorder and has begun seeking treatment. We extend our sympathies to him and anyone else who suffers from mental illnesses and hope the therapy helps right his life.
But he is still charged with multiple felonies and we should not have to pay extra for him to not sit at the State House nor give him a pass at taxpayer expense when we hold others on the public payroll to exacting standards.
