Newly elected GOP state Senator Jim Norman, who is still being investigated by the FBI for his receiving a campaign cash gift from the late Ralph Hughes that allowed him and his wife to purchase a home in Arkansas, today announced that he has resigned from the Salvation Army, his job that he did in the outside hours from his previous full time job with the Hillsborough County Commission.
Salvation Army spokesman Steve Dick confirmed to CL that Norman was resigning. Blogger Peter Schorsch first broke the news in a tweet and later on his website early Tuesday morning.
Although Norman won his bid for election to the senate seat District 12 last Tuesday after an appeals judge placed his name back on the ballot (it never was officially removed, but Hillsborough and Pasco Republicans had named former legislator Rob Wallace to replace Norman after a lower court had kicked him off), his troubles have hardly gone away.
In addition to an FBI investigation (reported by both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times in early September) regarding the admission that Hughes, a campaign contributor and supporter, had given the $500,000 to Norman's wife, Mearline, an ethics charge filed by Hillsborough Community College professor Keith Berry was sent to the Florida Commission on Ethics last week.
Equally problematic for not only Norman but also the Salvation Army was actually what the longtime County Commission actually did at the non profit organization, where he earned a healthty $95,000 annually. That is, when he could find time from his full time job paid at taxpayer expense (at over $90,000) of being a County Commissioner for the past 18 years.
Undoubtedly anger over Norman's situation spilled over to the nonprofit, which is about to go into high gear asking for donations as the holiday season approaches.
The Salvation Army's Steve Dick said he was working on a press release that would issued out to the media some time this morning.
This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2010.