I was sent this statement from the soon-to-be-former State’s Attorney last evening.
I have been blessed to have served the people of Wicomico County for 23 years as state’s attorney. There are absolutely no words adequate to express my deep appreciation to our citizens, to the exceptional attorneys and staff who have worked with me and to tremendous law enforcement officers past and present with whom I’ve worked on a daily basis.
There comes a time when change is necessary, and I fully accept and respect the decision made by the majority of those voting in the democratic primary.
I am also deeply appreciative of the sentiments expressed in the Matt Maciarello press release thanking me and my staff for the years of service we have given to this county. I value that expression on behalf of my entire office.
I wish both candidates the best in the coming election with the hope that the issues addressing Wicomico County can be openly discussed and potential solutions explored.
Until such time as a new state’s attorney takes office, we will fully fulfill our duties and responsibilities to the citizens.
On a personal level I am remain committed to the best interest of residents and I am excited about the possibilities of service in other areas.
I am an Eastern Shoreman born and bred, a Wicomico native through and through and from my perspective, there are no better people on the face of the earth.
My thanks to all for the greatest thrill of my life in serving as your state’s attorney.
Let me start out my commentary by thanking Davis for his years of service. I know him enough to consider him as more than an acquaintance as there’s been occasions we’ve been able to speak at length when our paths happened to cross because of my involvement with the local blogosphere. Unfortunately, I think that several factors which weren’t directly related to his office were the factors which tipped the scales against him in this election, and hastened the feeling among Democrats that it was time for a change. (Remember, while Republicans have a candidate in Matt Maciarello, Matt didn’t run against Davis directly.)
Obviously the 2008 DWI incident has been beaten to death in the local media, but don’t discount the decision Ruark made to seek the resignations of Sam Vincent and those within the State’s Attorney office who may have supported his campaign. Perhaps Davis believed it would create a distraction should Vincent have continued the effort (and there’s a lot to do given the high-profile Sarah Foxwell case along with less publicized cases.) Losing Sam in an auto accident, though, deprived the voters of Wicomico County a possible alternative candidate for the job and more importantly deprived Ruark the opportunity to reconsider the decision and perhaps come up with a better solution. As it was, it made Davis look like an autocrat only concerned with the trappings of office.
No man is above criticism or replacement, and it’s evident Democratic voters wanted a fresh start.
I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point, but the sense I received in speaking with Davis is that had there been a way to easily run as an unaffiliated candidate he would have gladly done so. I’m actually the guy who delivered him a John McCain sign 2 years ago. But Maryland regulations make State’s Attorney a partisan office and that’s the political reality for the time being, whether he actually believes straight down the line with Democratic principles or not.
(While he’s told me that he’s spoken before to the Republican Club, I did have to lay down the law regarding sign placement at the GOP booth at the Farm and Home Show. He wanted to leave his signs there but the GOP has a candidate. They ended up down the way at the ‘Conservatives for Maryland’ booth.)
Obviously Ruark will be finishing out his term, and there’s important work for him to do regarding passing along some of the unfinished business like the Sarah Foxwell case. I’m certain he will be gracious and helpful to whoever wins in November. Nor will he pack up and blow away entirely as he works closely with the Child Advocacy Center and will still be a popular figure in many circles.
It’s simply become clear that one of those circles is no longer Democratic primary voters.
