From a Seat of Power to One on Greyhound

A half-hour north of Richmond, Va., Sharpe James fell asleep. His eyes were closed, his lips puckered open. His blue-and-silver tie was undone. If this had been a portrait, it might have borne the title “Disgraced Politician at Ease.”

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{snip} Mr. James, who ruled Newark [as mayor] for two decades, was convicted in 2008 on federal charges stemming from the sale of city properties to a former companion for a fraction of their cost. He was sentenced to 27 months, and will serve the balance of his sentence at the halfway house.

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