The classic definition of chutzpah, or gall, is the man who kills his parents and then pleads for mercy from the court because he is an orphan. Mike Rios, a member of the school board in Moreno Valley, California, has done even better than that; he has not only been out on bail since February while awaiting charges of murder, but he’s also been awaiting trial since his arrest in April on charges of 11 felony counts, including rape, pimping, and pandering; and now he’s pulled out papers to run for City Council.
And Rios has the best reason of all for running: he says he wants to fight corruption.
Rios was arrested in April for soliciting three women to be prostitutes for him as well as trying to recruit four more women and two underage girls. He apparently offered the young girls the use of his home and his car.
Rios has been a shady character for years; in 2010, he offered a reward in the disappearance of 17-year-old Norma Lopez, telling the media that he was a city council member, which he was not.
He ran for City Council in 2008, but who knows if he’ll win this time? You never know; the School Board can’t even fire him yet. They say they can’t fire him because he is an elected official. If Rios is convicted of a felony, then they can fire him.
Pimping, pandering, rape, and murder. A career in politics does seem appropriate.