Dear Editor:
I write in response to a letter recently submitted by Judy Davis regarding the lawsuit I filed against District Attorney William A. Shaw, Jr. In her letter, Mrs. Davis criticizes me for running a negative ad exposing the legal troubles of one of my opponents in last year’s congressional primary. I feel compelled to give Mrs. Davis, and the citizens of Clearfield, an explanation as to what led to that decision and the subsequent events.
On Friday, April 11, 2008, 12 days before the April 22 primary, I received a phone call from a state elected official serving as a neutral party advising me that the campaign of the opponent Mrs. Davis referenced wanted to enter into a peace agreement where no negative ads would be aired. Several days prior, however, I was informed by allies of mine in several local police agencies that District Attorney Bill Shaw sent an officer to record a statement from this same opponent, claiming that I admitted to committing crimes on the evening I went to visit my former girlfriend, while I was attending a football game with him in September 2007. We advised my opponent that we would agree to such a peace agreement, but that he would have to retract the statement he gave to the officer sent by Bill Shaw. That was the last I heard from my opponent and his campaign. Needless to say, we weren’t supposed to know about what was transpiring behind the scenes.
Over that weekend, my entire family struggled with the decision whether to run the ad exposing my opponent’s legal troubles. On one hand, that is not what I am about. I was always taught you don’t make yourself look better by tearing others down. On the other hand, we knew what extreme my opponent was willing to go to knock me out of the race. Eventually, the decision was made to run the ad, which hit the airwaves on Tuesday, April 15.
The next day, Bill Shaw sent the same officer to record statements from two paid campaign staff members, backing up the statement originally made by my opponent, and the next day I was charged with crimes from an alleged incident that occurred eight months prior. When Bill Shaw was asked about the timing of the charges, his justification was that statements had just been received the day prior. The statements were from my opponent and two of his campaign staff. Since I was aware of what was going on, I asked two people that were with me to recount the events the of the several hours we spent with my opponent at that September 2007 football game. Both have provided statements rebutting my opponent’s claims. I continue to ask if my opponent claims I confessed to a crime in September of 2007, why didn’t he go to authorities then?
I have taken full responsibility for an immature moment, and I can’t apologize enough to my family or the family of my former girlfriend for the agony this has caused for all of us. Breaking up after seven years of being together was emotionally difficult. However, I remain fully convinced that this became an issue not on the day I went to my former girlfriends apartment, but the day I announced my candidacy for United States Congress. I urge Mrs. Davis and your readers to read the claims in the amended complaint, in which such facts are stated that Bill Shaw forced chief of police Jeff Rhone to sign the complaint against me, which was done against the wishes of my former girlfriend.
I ask Mrs. Davis, and other interested citizens in Clearfield County, to please bear with me as I tell my version of the events in a legitimate and ethical manner. I can understand the opinion she has formed, but I must state that there are many details that she and others are unaware of. If this type of politics is allowed to continue, the system will eventually end up destroying itself, and that alone gives me justification to not remain silenced. I was accused of things I didn’t do, for the political gain of another. It is my hope to regain Mrs. Davis’ trust and vote if I decide to run for office again. Please know that I’m doing this for the good of our community, and I will give all damages awarded to deserving Clearfield County charities.
Derek Walker
Bigler