Bruce Childers announced on his Facebook page that he would not appeal Friday’s decision by Judge Jenifer Frydrychowicz to dismiss the emergency motion that sought to get him on the August primary so he could challenge incumbent Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender.
“There is no use in an appeal because…this matter would be moot by the time it got to the appellate court.”
In his post, Childers lightly rehashed the argument his wife, Clerk of Courts Pam Childers, and attorney Ed Fleming made on his behalf at the hearing – had he (and his wife) been notified that the photo of the first page of Form 6 wasn’t adequate, he would have presented the full form.
- Of course, he doesn’t mention that the SOE staff told him and his wife the photo was not sufficient.
- Bruce also failed to mention the SOE video that significantly conflicted with their narrative.
Here is his post (his punctuation):
I have the unfortunate burden to post that I lost my case in court to remain on the ballot for Supervisor of Elections. The court’s ruling was based in large part on a 1952 case that is still the law today (nobody appeals what would, by the time it got to the appellate court, be a moot issue) that even if there was a mistake made by the SOE’s office (and here there were several), it is the candidate’s responsibility to file the correct forms. Not to rehash what happened, but had the SOE’s office not listed me as “qualified” on their website, and instead listed me as “not qualified”, I would have immediately called to find out what else I needed to file to qualify. I could go on, but I will leave it at that.
I don’t wish to continue to keep stirring the pot, so to speak, when it will only cause more people to doubt the integrity of their government and their elected officials. I think people need to believe in their government. That being said, they must still be circumspect. I often hear people say they are not interested in politics. As someone said, they might as well say I am not interested in my standard of living, my health, my job, my freedom, the taxes I pay, my future or any future. If we mean to keep any control of our lives, we must be interested in politics. As Plato said, the price good men pay for indifference is to be ruled by evil men. I am by no means suggesting that is the case here. I am merely saying we should be vigilant of who we elect. We must remain informed.
Before this, I did not realize the power of social media. Words have power, but I did not realize how powerful my words could be. I say this to say, I accept the court’s ruling, notwithstanding that I had hoped and prayed for a different result. I hope it does not sound self-aggrandizing for me to say, I hope we can all move from here. This was not just about me, but to so many it was about disenfranchising the citizens of this county. It was about their right to elect the candidate they felt was best suited for the job. I have done all I can at this point. There is no use in an appeal because, as I stated earlier, this matter would be moot by the time it got to the appellate court.
In closing let me say, Pam and I are no one special. We are two people like you, who are just trying to make our way through life. We are two people who are interested in good government and have tried to make a difference. We have tried to impart our ideals to our kids, that they, too, have a civic duty. And while I had hoped for a different result, I must accept this court’s decision and move on with my life. I want to say thank you for all of your support, your prayers, your kindness, and for being there with us. It may sound counter-intuitive to say, but right now I feel I am a very lucky man to be a part of this community.
-Bruce Childers
My father, Richard Outzen Sr., often said, “Everyone is the hero in the movie playing in their head.”
#notreadbypamchilders