Justice of the Peace Sam Harris
Justice of the Peace Sam Harris has resigned his position. I intend to make a few comments, and then I am going to move on.
Contrary to what many readers probably think of me, Judge Harris's resignation does not fill me with any great sense of glee. In fact, the whole thing really leaves a sort of uncomfortable feeling in me. Am I proud of it? No. Do I regret it? Yes, in a strange way I do regret it all a little bit. Do I feel sorry for Sam Harris? No, I think to feel sorry for him now would be an insult to him that I do not want to hurl.
For you see, Sam Harris is a man. Despite accusations that I attacked him, I don't really believe it was viscious or unfair. I uncovered and described his own actions. To feel pity for him now would be to ignore his own volition; it would be to treat him as something less than a man who made his own decisions and made his own way to this point.
And I won't insult his family by feeling sorry for them, either. One commenter below accused me causing hardship to his family with my "relentless pursuit." I can certainly recognize that this has been very difficult for his family. One must think, though, of all the other families who have been impacted. I think all are worthy of our consideration. It's over.
To say I am not proud of this does not mean I am ashamed. I went back and read through everything I posted in the last month or so. I cannot find anything that I do not believe to be legitimate discussion in a judicial race. It was all about what he did. I did not make up stories; I did not tell lies. I told the truth about a man who held himself up as not only worthy of judging others but, on at least some occasions, doing so harshly. I may have been unduly harsh myself at times, and for that I apologize to all concerned.
I wish none of it had happened, but it did.
I was not alone. This 'blog may have started a discussion, but there were many attorneys more prominent than I working to bring forth the truth. In the end, the truth became insurmountable.
To anyone that suggests that I am "happy" over what has occurred here, you do not know me and you do not comprehend what this has all been about. It has not been about destruction, it has been about exposure. There were very personal reasons for what I did, reasons that have nothing to do with Mike Smartt or the Freer case, or anyone else I have written about.
And now I hope it is over. I wish Sam Harris no ill will. I just hope it is over.
4 comments:
GeeGuy, very eloquently said! I had almost the very same reaction. I too wish Sam Harris well. His resignation was the right thing to do, speaks well of him that he had the courage to do so.
Anon32
Wait a minute, lets not get too carried away. The letter that was delivered to the County Commisioners is not the same one set forth in the newspaper. The letter to the commissioners just says that he resignes his current position efective Dec. 31st. That position ends on that day anyhow so he has not really resigned anything. His letter to the commission does not say that he will not accept a future term if elected. So...., what happens if Sam gets the Majority of the votes? 1. he takes the job cause he was choosen by the voters and they made him change his mind about not being the JP. 2. He refuses the job and the county commisioners have to choose his successor, maybe Fagenstrom, maybe not, they are not obligated to choose any particular person. I spoke with Fagenstrom's campaign workers and they are concerned that some of their voters may not vote thinking that the race is over. Remember everyone has to vote remind them that nothing is over till the last hanging chad is counted.
In conversations with the County People I have learned that, regardless of what Sam says he is going to do, a number of logistical questions or problems arise if Fagenstrom does not get the majority of votes.
1. If Sam wins but does not accept the position the County Commisioners will select the next JP I hope Fagenstrom would be their preference, but it is not a certainty. Problem is, the statutes say that the "elected" candidate has to take a class and pass a test before he can serve as JP. That happens in November right after the election. So who the heck takes the test if Sam wins? I am not sure when the County makes their decision about who takes the job, but if it is after the test how does that work? Bottom line everyone still needs to cast their vote for Fagenstrom even if Sam is not going to take the job. Remember there are plenty of Sam votes that have already been cast and which will be counted.
GeeGuy,
You did a service to your community. Not a particularly pleasant service. For what ever reasons, Judge Harris has hurt too many people for too long. He didn't accept direction or correction. He became a liability to the County Government and to the people of our community. It was important to bring what was happening to light.
But he is still a person, and right or wrong, people of conscience feel bad when someone is hurt.
As a kid, I learned that even if I was careful and didn't get dirty, I still had some stink on me when I was done cleaning the pigpen. It was neccesary but not something to be enjoyed. (Don't take this analogy too far).
Feelings ran high on this issue, and people may need a few days to think through what has happened, like you did. So it may not really be over until a new judge is seated. Hopefully, there will be calm after the election.
Thanks again for your service.
Post a Comment