Judge: Walker mayor too late

• By BOB ANDERSON
• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Jul 19, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LIVINGSTON — A judge disqualified Walker Mayor Travis Clark on Friday from running for re-election, saying that Clark missed the deadline for filing his candidacy with the clerk of court.

Unless overturned on appeal, which Clark’s attorney filed Friday afternoon with the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal, the decision means Clark’s challenger, Bobby Font, would walk into the job unopposed.

Clark, who said he was tied up in traffic on Interstate 12, maintained that, based on his car and cell phone clocks, he arrived at the Clerk of Court’s Office before the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday of last week.

Officials with the Clerk’s Office testified that Clark did not enter their office until 5:02 p.m.

Judge Bruce Bennett cited a deposition by Clerk of Court Tom Sullivan, who said that Clark missed the deadline to get his name on the Oct. 4 primary election ballot.

The 21st Judicial District Court judge said Sullivan is the parish’s chief election officer and that also makes him the “official timekeeper.”

Sullivan allowed Clark to complete the paperwork, which was stamped 5:05 p.m., but said in a sworn statement that he informed Clark that if his qualification was challenged, that Sullivan would have to testify that Clark filed his paperwork too late.

The judge compared Clark to a basketball player who burns the last seconds on the clock and doesn’t shoot until after the buzzer.

“The Queen Mary had sailed,” Bennett said.

“The flight had taken off.”

Clark attempted to “play head games” with his opponent by not filing until the last instant, even though he had three days to do so, said attorney Randy Piedrahita, who represents Font.

“When you play with fire, you get your fingers burned,” Piedrahita said.

The law states that the qualifying papers and payment have to be received by the clerk of court by 5 p.m., not that the candidate has to show up in the parking lot by that time, Piedrahita asserted.