Nov 11, 2013 2 min read

For weeks, Washington City Councilman Matt Staniszewski seemed to believe he could have it both ways.

He landed a job as the economic development director in New Castle, 75 miles to Washington’s north, a position that carries a $65,000 annual salary and a residency requirement. That he would have to resign from Washington City Council and discontinue his campaign for a third term seemed a no-brainer, a given.

Apparently not, though, to Staniszewski. He bobbed and weaved and hemmed and hawed and hinted that he could somehow carry on as a member of council and keep his 9-to-5 job too, ferrying between both locations. If this had been allowed to happen, Staniszewski’s divided loyalties would have been detrimental both to his Washington constituents and New Castle residents and officials wanting his undivided attention.

But Washington voters sensibly realized Staniszewski could not somehow live in both places and, last week, turned him out of office. He came in third in a race for two open seats, receiving almost half as many votes as newcomer Tracie Rotunda Graham.

Staniszewski’s tenure was marked by controversy and included two DUI convictions, feuding with fellow elected officials and, perhaps most embarrassing, a test of the city’s emergency alert system earlier this year that had Staniszewski sending the message “Brian is gay,” apparently in reference to a college classmate. He compounded his troubles by arguing he was not trying to slur “Brian,” or even point out his sexuality, but was merely saying that Brian is gay in the old-fashioned sense, meaning happy-go-lucky.

His actions, and his ludicrous explanation for them, made Staniszewski and the city a national laughingstock. It’s never a good thing when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is making a punchline out of you.

But the city’s voters ended up having the last laugh. Since Staniszewski couldn’t seem to make up his mind, they made it for him.