Impeachment Articles Filed Against Burton

Ten members of the Undergraduate Council formally submitted two articles of impeachment against council Vice President John A. Burton '01 last night, as Burton and his supporters charged the move was "petty" and politically motivated.

As a result of the formal petition, the council will hear arguments from both sides and then vote on Burton's removal at Sunday's regularly scheduled meeting.

According to the council's constitution, any ten members can submit a resolution to permanently remove a representative or officer. The resolution is then placed before a meeting of the full council and requires two-thirds of a secret ballot vote to be adopted.

Finance Committee Chair Kyle D. Hawkins '02, along with council member John P. Marshall '01, solicited signatures for the petition yesterday. Hawkins said the ten decided to seek Burton's removal from office because they feared that what they described as "ethical violations" on his part have reflected badly on the council.

Three of the ten sponsors of the resolution ran against Burton's running mate, Fentrice D. Driskell '01 in December's presidential race--Sterling P.A. Darling '01, Todd E. Plants '01 and Frank X. Leonard '01.

Burton has been pressured to step down from his post in recent weeks because of allegations that he took more than 100 buttons from the resource center of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters' Alliance without permission for use in his campaign.

The two articles of impeachment also allege that Burton was not honest with the Election Commission about the buttons during his campaign.

Burton and Driskell said last night that they are dismayed that council members have taken this action.

"In the eyes of the average Harvard student, this is petty and disgusting.

Such ugliness over lemonade and buttons is embarrassing." Burton wrote in an e-mail message.

Driskell said she hoped the council would not re-elect the ten members to their executive board posts. Hawkins currently serves as the chair of the Finance Committee and Darling is the council's treasurer.

"I hope that the council has the sense to see through this charade and chooses not to re-elect these members to their Executive Board positions," Driskell wrote in an e-mail message.

Driskell also said she was upset that the ten representatives did not contact her and Burton before they officially issued the petition.

"The 10 members bringing this article did not have the decency to contact John and me before they brought the article," Driskell wrote in an e-mail message.

Plants said his support of the petition did not necessarily indicate support for Burton's removal. Instead, Plants said he felt a thorough investigation by the full council was the only way to move beyond the controversy.

"It's a very formal way of making sure that the allegations are both heard and responded to," Plants said.

Leonard said he signed the petition because he thought Burton was damaging the council's image on campus.

"John Burton epitomizes everything the average student hates about the council," he said.

But Alexander A. Boni-Saenz '01, a Burton supporter, said he didn't think the legislation will muster the two-thirds necessary to remove him from office.

Boni-Saenz denounced the move as politically motivated, and said the ten representatives signing the petition were "a group of partisans using The Crimson to spawn allegations [of scandal]."

Hawkins disagreed, pointing out that he supported Burton when he ran for president in 1998.

"The decision to impeach Burton is entirely non-partisan," Hawkins said. "In this election, I have been disgusted by his behavior and was very upset by the way he chose to run his campaign. Burton's actions speak for themselves."

Marshall, who as the council's parliamentarian is charged with keeping members informed of constitutional rules and procedures, said he was uncertain how Sunday's hearing will be conducted.

As lead sponsors of the articles, Marshall said he and Hawkins will assume the role of prosecutors at the meeting and will have the option to call witnesses to prove their case.

Burton, Marshall said, will also be allowed to call witnesses and speak in his defense.

Marshall said that next semester's council secretary will succeed Burton if the impeachment articles are passed. Because the secretary election will also take place at this Sunday's meeting, which is the first of the new year, the council may effectively elect its own vice president. Council members said last night they are not yet sure whether the election or the Burton trial will take place first.

Both former President Noah Z. Seton '00 and former Vice President Kamil E. Redmond '00 said they hope that the impeachment will bring closure to weeks of conflict over Burton's embattled vice-presidency.

Other sponsors of the articles of impeachment include Justin A. Barkley '02, Chrisopher J. Gattman '03, Jeffrey A. Letalien '00, John Thomas '02 and Lev Polinsky '99-'00.