Fla. Lawmaker Resigns After Using Racial Slur
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HIALEAH, FLA. — A state lawmaker under fire for leaving a message filled with obscenities and a racial slur on a colleague’s voicemail resigned yesterday and was charged with two crimes.
Rep. Ralph Arza of the Florida Legislature, who had been urged to step down by fellow Republicans, including Governor Bush, apologized for his actions and said he was resigning because he did not want to distract from the work of the GOP-led legislature.
Mr. Arza acknowledged leaving the message on Rep. Gus Barreiro’s voicemail last month but said he was drunk.
He said he had learned that Mr. Barreiro had filed a complaint accusing him of using a racial epithet to refer to Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black. He used the same epithet in his phone message to Mr. Barreiro, who is Hispanic, but has vehemently denied ever using a racial slur to refer to Mr. Crew.
Prosecutors charged Mr. Arza with retaliating against and tampering with a witness, both felonies, for allegedly trying to thwart the investigation of the complaint.
