The Supervisor of Elections website shows Bill Fletcher has failed to qualify for election to the the County Commission. The qualifying deadline is tomorrow at noon. Only 12 hours away!! Each time I’ve heard Fletcher speak, he mentions he is only running because no one else would get in the race. Has he finally found someone to replace him who really wants to win?
It just seems odd that someone would wait until the very last minute if they were enthusiastic about the race and really wanted to run for the position. Maybe he has decided it’s just not worth it? Or maybe he’s just reluctant to possibly go through another defeat as he did in the 2016 campaign. Maybe he does not want to have to leave his home and relocate into the district?
I guess we will find out tomorrow at noon.
I am always suspicious of first time posters who come out swinging and your post is no exception however, I have my own thoughts about Bill Fletcher.
I actually voted for Fletcher in 2016 because knowing things Chapman has done with regard to special favors hes given or received, the fudging of his police certifications, the get out of jail free card he secured for his son on a domestic violence charge after he punched his g/f (at the time) in the face, I could not bring myself to vote for Chapman. Fletcher also had a good showing in 2012 when he ran against Chapman (coming in second) albeit he still lost. The money that went missing from the Walton County planning department was a huge factor as well.
I started having second thoughts about Fletcher when he started attending Defuniak Springs Council meetings when Mac Carpenter (a City councilman at the time) was vying for the Walton County Planning Directors job and I realized he was pushing/persuading Melanie Nipper to vote for Carpenter who was employed with the planning department when the 800,000 dollars worth of recreation fees went uncollected or "missing". There has been plenty of talk here about Carpenter and Mayor Bob Campbell's antics on our City Council and the almost 1/2 million dollars (and counting) they have cost the taxpayers so, not point in rehashing the past (do a search on this board with Carpenter and Campbell's names if you want a refresher course) but suffice it to say I was dead set on Carpenter NOT being re-elected to our City Council and he wasn't...thanks in part to the honesty and integrity of our City council and some very astute citizens who saw through Carpenter's bullshit, he did however get the planning directors job.
Fletcher has continued to this day to attend City Council meetings in Defuniak and has aligned himself with our less than stellar Mayor and a group of citizens who have long held the City hostage calling themselves C4 (City Corruption Clean-Up Crew) consisting of 2 old biddies, 1 a former politicians wife and the other a very rich, nasty woman with more money then sense and a few very ill informed citizens, There are ample videos online regarding their antics (check WZEP) but what I just couldn't get past was Fletcher attending those dog and pony shows. I suspect that it's not really out of any real support for the group but the necessity to obtain the signatures needed to get himself on the ballot that Fletcher got behind this group. I suspect the Mayor convinced Fletcher that he had overwhelming support of the citizens in Defuniak and that just isn't the case. I personally believe that Fletcher is towing the party line (practicing partisan politics) and its going to cost him. BIG TIME!
Just got off the phone with Supervisor of elections office and Fletcher will be on the ballot in August.
I won't vote for him but I won't vote Trey Nick either.
