by Lake Wales, Florida has a tough decision ahead of it. The current race for mayor includes John Paul Rogers – a 70 year old former Klan member. Rogers is currently a commissioner whose past has only come out because his opponent exposed him.
Lake Wales
Lake Wales is a small town of only 13,000 people and Rogers said that, “It’s a shame that in a small city like Lake Wales where most everyone knows one another you have this kind of muckraking and character assassination.”
No Apologies Here
He isn’t, however, apologizing for his involvement with the KKK. He explained, “Well I resigned years ago, about 30 years ago. Jesus said, ‘He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone,’ and so far no one’s hit me with a rock. I don’t know of any act of any violence that was sanctioned by our organization, either national or in Florida.”
Forced Resignation
A USF professor and expert on the KKK, Darryl Paulson, pointed out that Rogers probably had to resign from the Klan since they lost their headquarters in the area in 1981 and became financial bankrupt after a six million dollar settlement was awarded against them.Time will tell how the voters feel about Roger’s past, as they go to the booths to vote in the non-partisan mayoral elections scheduled for April 5.