Hamilton articles & editorials
A defiant Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, says he has no intention of resigning, as five statewide office-seekers have urged. "Their collective opinions have not lessened my resolve to continue serving the people of the 93rd District," he said in a statement.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/HAMI26_20090825-215809/288330/
House Speaker William J. Howell chose a secretive citizen panel to investigate ethical complaints against Del. Phil Hamilton to avoid criticism of "politicians policing other politicians" in an election year, a Howell spokesman said Tuesday. The House Ethics Advisory Panel will consider whether the influential Newport News Republican violated state law by seeking work at a proposed teacher training center for Old Dominion University before filing legislation that financed its creation. Another option advocated by House Democratic Leader Ward Armstrong would put Hamilton before his peers on the House Privileges and Elections Committee to answer questions.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_hamiltonside_0826aug26,0,7460933.story
Times-Dispatch: During Watergate, Democrat after Democrat said Richard Nixon had to leave the White House. Many of the Republicans who agreed that Nixon had to leave lacked national stature. Finally, Barry Goldwater said Nixon's time was up. Soon after the stalwart took his stand, Nixon resigned. The Hamilton scandal is not in the same league as Watergate. Still, the delegate's behavior was wrong. The McDonnell-Bolling defense of higher standards resembles a Goldwater moment.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/editorials/article/ED-BILL26_20090825-181604/288217/
Daily Press: Even before he used his influence as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee to plug money in the state budget to create ODU's Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership, Del. Phil Hamilton was telling top ODU officials he wanted a job with the center. He was even spelling out how much he needed to be paid, in the same breath as reporting on how he was proceeding to get the 2007 General Assembly to put up the money. Once $500,000 a year was in place, Hamilton was hired for a loosely defined, part-time position as director for $40,000 a year. Part of his written job description? Secure continued funding. Hamilton doesn't seem to see it, but to most ordinary observers this looks like influence-peddling -- and on ODU's part, influence-buying -- pure and simple. ..... Hamilton should also insist -- not just request -- that the House ethics panel's work in his case be conducted in public. The prescribed process does more to protect lawmakers than serve the public, and it's rigged so that the truth may never come out.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-ed_hamilton_edit_0826aug26,0,3275964.story
Virginian-Pilot: ODU must answer for Del. Hamilton scandal
Tamara Dietrich: What's key is how much of this political scandal was willful manipulation on Hamilton's part -- a mutual back-scratch along the lines of, I'll get you the center if you make me the director -- and how much was, shall we say, sheer stupidity. Hamilton claims the latter. "I never connected the dots," he told the Daily Press last week. If true, we should all be reaching for the Pepcid. Because it would mean an otherwise decent man with 21 productive years in the General Assembly can't tell anymore when he's trading political influence for personal gain.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/columnists/dp-local_tamara_0826aug26,0,2248065.column
Free Lance-Star: This is textbook-entry manipulation, for private gain, of the public purse. Yet if Mr. Hamilton answers to the advisory panel, he can request a private hearing at which the public will be ignorant not only of the details of a public official's deplorable behavior, but also that of the officials of a public college.
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/082009/08262009/489088
Chris Graham: Why should I care about Phil Hamilton?
http://augustafreepress.com/2009/08/25/why-should-i-care-about-phil-hamilton/#When:11:33:13Z
Michael Paul Williams: When critics questioned the legitimacy of the degree that Virginia Commonwealth University awarded to then-Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe, the Richmond university found itself standing waist deep in muck as Monroe left to take the reins of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., police force. In the fallout, VCU President Eugene P. Trani announced his resignation and Robert D. Holsworth, dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, stepped down amid an aggressive internal investigation. Now, in the wake of the tawdry tango between Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, and a new teaching center at ODU, you have to wonder: What will be the body count at the Norfolk university?
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/columnists_news/article/MIKE27_20090826-215003/288575/
Jeff's Notes on same: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/jeffs_notes_-_aug._27th/288638/
