The Pensacola News Journal no longer writes editorials but has a regular rotation of unpaid writers who do it for them. On Saturday, Theresa Blackwell, who averages one PNJ viewpoint monthly, delivered her detailed analysis of District 1 and District 5 county commission races – Who can we trust when we vote for District 1 and District 5 commissioners?
Then, on Sunday, Bruce Higdon cried foul when Bruce Childers, husband of County Clerk Pam Childers, was disqualified from running against Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender.
- Higdon blamed Bender and his staff and the “somewhat complex qualification process.” He repeats Pam and Bruce’s narrative, which was disproved by the video shown during the emergency hearing and the staff’s testimonies. An independent judge found the staff and the video “more compelling” and ruled against Childers.
Higdon can’t explain why Bruce Childers, “a recently retired, well-respected attorney who practiced in Escambia County for nearly 40 years,” and Pam Childers, a three-term elected official, could not figure out how to file Bruce’s Full & Public Disclosure form (Form 6) while hundreds of other Florida candidates did it without a problem.
- And there’s the problem of the $859,511 in assets missing from Bruce’s Form 6, which Pam completed for him.
He also wrote, “It should be noted that the county’s cost for legal fees to back up their disqualification is $50,000!”
- We are waiting to see how much Pam cost the county by dragging out the 401a lawsuit.
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