State Representative Charlene Lima expands on the below press release:

Today, until my microphone was turned off, I was asking the Speaker on the floor of the House if he did not announce the reappointment of Rep Jay Edwards as House Floor Manager because as a member of his leadership team Rep Edwards walked door to door in Representative Ed Cardillo’s district with his daughter against an incumbent democratic Representative, Ed Cardillo also a supporter of the Speaker. A supposed no-no for a member of leadership.

I was asking the Speaker because two years ago my Title, office and parking space was taken from me because I was active in finding an opponent for another Democratic Representative. As a member of leadership, the Speaker told me I should not have done this and had to have my leadership position taken away.

Hopefully, the same standard the Speaker applied to me, a female member of leadership, will be applied to a male member of leadership as well. Rep Edwards physically walked door to door in Democratic Representative Cardillo’s District with his daughter. Something I never did to any incumbent Democrat two years ago.

I publicly call on the Speaker to not reappoint Rep Edwards to any leadership position nor to create a “new one” to hide the blatant inequality of treating a male member of leadership different than a female member. He also must take Rep Edwards office away as well as his parking space. I am not the only Representative to have complaints about Rep Edwards questionable House floor conduct as leader.

Speaker Shekarchi always strives to wield the gavel fairly and hopefully he will continue to do so.

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