“Good old Lloyd”

“Good old Lloyd.”

Good old Lloyd has done it again.
“Good old Lloyd” is Lloyd Kinnear (“kuh-NEAR”), recently elected Canandaigua Town Supervisor (2005).
Kinnear was a tub-thumping REPUBLICAN gadfly who got himself elected Town Supervisor, replacing perhaps the finest Town Supervisor Canandaigua ever had, Sam Casella (“kuh-SELL-uh”), a conscientious down-to-earth farmer.
I should note that Canandaigua town government is separate from Canandaigua city government. The City of Canandaigua is within the Town of Canandaigua, but the town is much larger.
The city has its own government, but the town, very rural, is separate.
In 2005, good old Lloyd was charged with driving-while-intoxicated, a charge he described as “of little consequence.” Sure; “of little consequence” to a T-boned motorcyclist at 3 a.m. who could conceivably lose his life.
The DWI charge became part of the election campaign, which prompted his “of little consequence” comment. (The election was in 2005.)
When we lived on Winton Road in Rochester, every once-in-a while some drunk from the bars down the street would ram parked cars in front of our house.
Our neighbor lost a fabulous RoadRunner and Cutlass-Supreme that way, and an Omni across the street also got totaled. All cars were utterly creamed, and sounded like large tin-cans when hit.
Then the bleeding drunk would stagger onto our porch, bang our door at 2 a.m., and noisily insist we call for help while melting our screendoor with his breath.
I’ve found myself behind obvious DWIs wandering all over the road. Suppose this guy head-ons a passing motorist in front of me; where do I go?
Gotta get by, or take another route. “Of little consequence,” Lloyd says.
Late Friday night, September 5, 2008 Lloyd took it off the road.
Lost it on a curvy road, and almost took out a lightpole.
An Ontario County dippity sheriff responded to a 9-1-1 call, and ascertained that Lloyd was drunk.
A Breathalyzer test was performed, and Lloyd was found with a blood-alcohol content of .16%, .08% over the statewide legal limit of .08%.
The first DWI charge is a misdemeanor, but if a second occurs within 10 years, it’s a felony.
State law requires that those convicted of a felony not hold public office.
If Lloyd is convicted, he must resign his position as Canandaigua Town Supervisor.
In truest Rod Blagojevich tradition, he will “fight, and fight, and fight until his dying day.”
So now he wants his breath test quashed.
What is it with these people?
Attain public office and you’re above the law?
Is there ever a DWI that wouldn’t like to quash his Breathalyzer evidence?

In 2005, I was still working for the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper. I retired at the end of the year. Best job I ever had.

Before moving here to West Bloomfield in 1990, we lived on “Winton Road” in Rochester, NY. Winton Road was a main drag.