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| 7/28/2010 6:08:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Robert Reid won't appeal decision that removed him from ballot
Cites expected $50,000 legal costs as his primary motivation for withdrawal from the fight
James Shannon
Mid & South County Editor
UPDATE: Robert Reid released a statement Thursday morning July 29 that confirmed the story The Examiner broke the night before, that he decided not to appeal the decision to remove him from the ballot.
Here is the complete text of that statement, followed by our original post:
Robert Reid Candidacy Announcement
PORT ARTHUR, TX-Today I am formally announcing that I will not appeal the July 13th ruling of County Judge Ron Walker's removal of my name from the ballot for the Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, general election this coming November. This is a decision I make reluctantly. My legal counsel, former Judge Rick Williams, has spent nearly two weeks researching our case and felt we had an 85%-90% chance of overturning Judge Walker's decision. An appeals process would undoubtedly take place that we expected would go all the way to the Texas Supreme Court where we still felt confident that we would be placed back on the ballot. However, my legal expenses would exceed $50,000. That is an amount of money that I cannot justify spending given the higher priorities of my children's education and my responsibilities as a father and husband.
The whole process of this campaign with my opponent and Judge Walker's decision to remove me from the ballot has been disappointing with too many details for me to list in this statement. The bottom line is that an election should have been held and the voters of Port Arthur should have decided who their next Justice of the Peace will be. I want the voters to have an opportunity to vote for Mr. Derouen as much as I want them to have an opportunity to vote for me. The right to vote for the candidate of your choice is a fundamental principle on which this country was founded. What has been particularly disturbing to me is the strategy employed by my opponent to avoid an election by contesting irregularities in an application. To some it may be a shrewd campaign strategy. To me, it is seeking to win by default rather than giving voters reasons why you should be the next Justice of the Peace. In the process, no one has been elected by the voters of Port Arthur to be the next Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, but a candidate has won by default. Unless your definition of justice is the one with the most resources wins, justice has not been served in this case.
I want to assure the citizens of Port Arthur that nothing malicious was done during the process of having my petition signed. There was no purposeful intent to deceive anyone, and each person who signed my petiton knew that the reason was to have my name placed on the ballot as an independent candidate for Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2. As I move forward, I will continue to be an active and concerned civic citizen. The city of Port Arthur has been my home since 1975, and I have lived here through the years because this is where I want to be and raise my family. My concern is to do my part as a citizen to improve the quality of life in the city of Port Arthur. Politically speaking, there will be another day for me.
ORIGINAL POST:
Robert Reid, a veteran educator whose attempt to run as an independent candidate for Justice of the Peace was legally thwarted two weeks ago, said he has decided not to appeal the decision. He cited expected legal costs in excess of $50,000 as his primary motivation for withdrawal from the fight.
"People who know me know I'm not a quitter," said Reid. "For me, the bottom line was $50,000 or more in legal expenses such a fight would cost. I don't have $50,000 to spend for a $70,000 a year job. I have a daughter in college and my obligation is to her and the rest of my family."
On July 13, Jefferson County Judge Ron Walker ruled that Reid's name would not appear on the November ballot as an independent candidate for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 in Port Arthur. The office is currently held by Robert T. Morgan, who did not seek reelection.
Marc DeRouen, who defeated Richard 'Dickie' White in the March 2 Democratic primary position, challenged the validity of some signatures on the petitions Reid filed to get on the ballot.
In a strange proceeding that day before an almost empty chamber, Walker read a brief letter he said would be mailed to Reid that made two points. First, he cited the portion of the election code he said gave him jurisdiction over the matter. Then, he effectively upheld the issues raised in Derouen's challenge and said therefore Reid would not appear on the ballot.
Walker said Reid and his attorney Rick Williams had previously notified him they would not be in attendance. In a statement he issued before the proceeding, Reid had outlined his reasons for skipping the event.
"The duties and responsibilities of the County Judge with regard to the election code are ministerial and not judicial," wrote Reid. "To be clear, according to the election code, the County Judge's office is not a court. If Mr. DeRouen feels that Judge Walker has made a mistake by certifying my name for a place on the November ballot for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, he should take that complaint to the Appeals Court; which according to the election code has the jurisdiction to address such matters. For this reason, I will not be attending the hearing scheduled by Judge Walker for 2 p.m. today."
In an interview today, Reid stood by that statement.
"My attorney Rick Williams said we had a 85-90 percent chance of prevailing at the Court of Appeals, but that decision would doubtlessly be appealed by Mr. DeRouen," he said, indicating he had no appetite for rounds of appeals and counter-appeals with the meter running on legal fees.
In the end, Reid sounded a hopeful note. After thanking the supporters who stood with him through the aborted campaign, he said, "I still want to help my community. There will be another day for me. I probably will not run for JP again, but I have a strong commitment to public service."
DeRouen will be unopposed on the November ballot.
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