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Peacock answers allegations
To the editor:
During the recent Republican primary, my opponent, Danny Joyner, spent a lot of time spreading rumors and allegations about my Alabama residency. When the Alabama Republican Party failed to remove me from the ballot based on these allegations, he then began to shop his story around to various media outlets in hopes they would disseminate his slanderous attacks. As we all know, Mr. Joyner won the Republican primary. Usually, when a candidate wins, they accept the win graciously and cease all negative attacks against their opponent … that’s not the case when Danny Joyner wins an election. On Friday, I was contacted by a local newspaper in order to get my response to an “election fraud complaint” that had been filed against me in the state of Florida. Even more disturbing, the witch hunt has now expanded to include my family, as my wife Jodi (who has never sought public office) is included in the complaint as well. Guess who the main witness for the complaint is … Danny Joyner.
So once and for all, I would like to clear up this residency issue that has fascinated Mr. Joyner for the last few months. This might seem a little farfetched, but believe it or not, I actually have a home in both Alabama and Florida! I know this seems incredible, but people actually can have homes in more than one state! My home in Florida is where I grew up and is where my voter registration was based until 2009. I also have a home in Atmore, which Jodi and I purchased in 2005.
With regard to the voter fraud allegations that continue to be thrown at me, and now, my family (even though I am no longer a candidate for public office), here are the facts: * When I was a registered voter in Florida, I NEVER voted in Alabama, nor was I a member of the Escambia County Republican Party in Alabama. Likewise, since registering in Alabama, I have NEVER voted in Florida and I resigned my position with the Escambia County Florida Republican Party before becoming a registered voter in Alabama.
* To vote in Florida, you have to be a “citizen” of Florida. As I stated earlier, I have a home in Florida which is where my voter registration was maintained until I registered to vote in Alabama in 2009 (I last voted in Florida in 2008).
* To run for the Alabama State Senate, you must be a resident of Alabama for three years and must be a registered voter at the time of becoming a candidate (no time limit is defined). Clearly, voter registration does not establish residency, otherwise these two timeframes would correspond with each other. As I stated earlier, Jodi and I bought our home in Atmore in 2005, which is significantly longer than the three years required to run for state senate. I have also been a registered voter in Alabama since 2009, which was long before becoming a candidate on April 2, 2010. This is why the Alabama Republican Party called this an “open-and-shut” case when they voted to reject Danny Joyner’s attempt to have me removed from the primary ballot.
One would think that Mr. Joyner’s mudslinging against me would end now that he has won the primary. Apparently not. Rather than actually trying to win the upcoming general election, Mr. Joyner has decided to continue his slanderous crusade against me. Now, he has teamed up with an individual that I dealt with during my time with the Escambia County Florida Republican Party, Ms. Elizabeth Campbell.
Ms. Campbell and Mr. Joyner are involved in the same obscure political organization and apparently they share a special disdain for me.
Specifically, Ms. Campbell was handed a six-month suspension from her role with the Florida GOP due to her efforts to undermine the Republican Party – a suspension that resulted from a complaint that I filed. Since I was responsible for filing the grievance that resulted in her suspension, it appears Ms. Campbell is now seeking payback. So rather than file her voter fraud complaint in a discreet and professional manner, Ms. Campbell runs to the media to “shop around” her story, just as Danny did when his challenge to my candidacy failed. But rather than send the story to a Florida-based paper (since the alleged voter fraud happened in Florida after all), Ms. Campbell sends the story to the papers in my home county where my family and friends live. You see, when you are attempting to destroy someone’s reputation, simply filing a complaint isn’t good enough; you must disseminate it publicly – that way, even when the allegations are proven to be completely baseless, the damage is still done. And to make your effort at character assassination really effective, be sure to drag your adversary’s family into the process. This is why [so many] good people don’t want to enter politics. I entered this race for state senate because I believed I could offer something of value to my fellow citizens of Senate District 22. During my campaign, I remained focused on spreading my ideas about economic development throughout the district. I never launched a single negative attack against Mr. Joyner. Mr. Joyner and his supporters, on the other hand, spent the entire campaign attempting to get me removed from the ballot, spreading malicious rumors via Facebook and email, harassing my supporters for simply placing a “Peacock” sign in their yard, and on election day, placing defaced “Peacock” signs at key intersections with terms like “pending felony charges” and “unconstitutionally qualified” plastered across them. Now, even after winning the primary, Mr. Joyner continues his negative attacks against me. What more do you hope to accomplish, Mr. Joyner? I sincerely hope this clears up, once and for all, any questions about my Alabama residency. I also hope it sheds some light on the character of Mr. Joyner and his allies. Finally, given the serious issues facing our country, our state and our district, it would be refreshing if Mr. Joyner would begin to share a reason for why the voters of Senate District 22 should vote for him, rather than why they should not vote for his opponent.
Sincerely,
Jeff Peacock
Former Candidate for Ala. State Senate, District 22
Atmore, Alabama
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