It seems even Wisconsin lawmakers are doing their parts to keep Madison ranked high as one of America’s drunkest cities.
The list from Men’s Health magazine — which ranks U.S. cities in a study analyzing the amount of drunkenness based in part by the number of drunk-driving incidents per capita — will have one more DWI incident to count in the city of Madison.
State Rep. Frank Boyle, D–Summit, was arrested Sunday night for driving under the influence. The arrest took place near his Madison residence in a parking lot off Fordem Avenue, according to a release from the legislator.
Boyle issued a statement Monday to his constituents, fellow lawmakers and family apologizing for the incident.
“It was a senseless act on my part and I accept full responsibility … I am tremendously guilty of bad judgment for driving while impaired,” Boyle said in the statement.
The assemblyman, who represents the northern Wisconsin counties surrounding Superior, said he fully cooperated with police during the arrest and will continue to comply with all law enforcement officials as he undergoes the penal process.
But Boyle is not the only elected official in the state to face DWI charges this year. Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager was arrested this February drunk driving while using a state-owned vehicle traveling from Madison to her home in Fond du Lac after having drinks with friends at a downtown bar.
Since her arrest, Lautenschlager has paid $3,250, or 10 days’ worth in salary, to the state as a self-imposed penalty. She also paid $784 to Dodge County after pleading guilty to drunk driving charges and agreed to reimburse the $800 in towing and car-repair charges after driving the vehicle into a ditch.
Despite the punishments, Lautenschlager faced no formal penalties from Gov. Jim Doyle or any members of the state legislature for her arrest.
Nevertheless, the state’s top cop came under an enormous amount of fire, particularly accusations that she was not forthcoming about the amount of alcohol she consumed the night of her arrest. Kari Kinnard, executive director of the Wisconsin chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said Lautenschlager’s attempt to deal with her DWI arrest proved extremely disappointing.
“It’s been disappointing,” Kinnard said in a March interview. “We feel there has not been the accountability and responsibility we would like with this situation. It doesn’t seem as though she has been forthcoming in the whole ordeal.”
