Committee member's military service questioned; was denied Santa Claus role by city

By Zach Church
Staff writer
Sat, 15 Dec 2007

LAWRENCE - School Committee member-elect James Stokes is under investigation to determine if he really is a military veteran, a claim he made on the ballot, Mayor Michael Sullivan said yesterday.
If the city clerk and Veterans Services director find that Stokes is, in fact, not a veteran, he would have to relinquish his seat.
Stokes, 64, beat incumbent member Greg Morris 560-424 in the District F South Lawrence race last month. Now Morris has asked the city clerk to investigate if Stokes lied about being a veteran, the mayor said.
Morris did not return a call for comment and did not attend last night's planned School Committee meeting.
The investigation comes one week after Stokes was denied the opportunity to play Santa Claus at the city's annual tree lighting. Personnel Director Frank Bonet said that decision was made after the city conducted a Criminal Offender Records Information - or CORI - check on Stokes, a standard practice when someone volunteers for the city.
Bonet said he could not discuss the details of the CORI check and said nothing in the results necessarily precluded Stokes from playing the role, which was once handled by a retired police officer who was killed in a car accident this year.
But Bonet said he ultimately decided to deny Stokes the chance to play Santa Claus.
"I called in the recreation assistant director and said 'Listen, this individual won't be able to volunteer,'" Bonet said.
Earlier this week, a published report showed Stokes served three months in jail on larceny and forgery charges in 1963 and faced charges of forgery and larceny and an insurance violation in 1986.
And Correction Department records from North Carolina show that Stokes spent three months behind bars there after being convicted of cheating a person out of property and services. That time was served from December 1974 to March 1975.
Stokes did not return calls for comment on this story. A man who answered the door at his 103 Boxford St. home initially said Stokes was in the house. But he returned a moment later to say he was not available.
School Committee member James Vittorioso said he spoke with Stokes last night. Stokes, Vittorioso said, will not resign his seat.
"He said he's not going to quit. He's going to stay the course," Vittorioso said. "I said, 'Thank you.'"
Vittorioso then began listing Massachusetts politicians who have held office despite having a criminal record.
Besides the military history - Stokes claims 20 years of enlistment collectively between the Marine Corps and the Navy, though he was in jail twice during that period - and the criminal history, Stokes also has been criticized over the years for calling himself a doctor and a reverend. He does hold a "basic ordination package" from the World Christianship Ministries of Fresno, Calif. That cost him $43 and required him to "check the title you wish" when sending the money. For another $39, he received a Doctor of Divinity from the school.
Stokes this year identified himself as a reverend on the ballot and has done so in the past when running for the City Council, a move he has tried and failed four times.
Yet, despite not once yet holding office, Stokes is a frequent presence in the Lawrence political community. He often speaks at meetings and is quick to lambaste seated officials. He volunteers with Toys for Tots and is almost always on hand at veterans events.
"For the past seven years he's been volunteering at all sorts of events for the veterans, sort of as our chaplain almost," Sullivan said. The chairman of the School Committee, Sullivan said he sees no reason why Stokes' criminal past would preclude him from serving on the committee, though he said evidence that he lied about being a veteran when filing would lead to Stokes being booted.
"The issue, on an election thing, is the fact that on his campaign form that he filed (he checked) veteran," Sullivan said.
New committee members will be sworn in next month. Under a new policy, all committee members will be subject to a CORI check, though the results won't prevent them from serving.
Should Stokes be removed from the committee or voluntarily resign, Morris, 38, would take his place.