Commissioner Chris Elliott talks DUI arrest, consequences with Republican Women group

By Cliff McCollum
Posted 1/12/17

At an Eastern Shore Republican Women meeting in Fairhope Thursday, Baldwin County Commission Chairman Chris Elliott spoke publicly about his DUI arrest in Fairhope last year for the first time since …

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Commissioner Chris Elliott talks DUI arrest, consequences with Republican Women group

Posted

At an Eastern Shore Republican Women meeting in Fairhope Thursday, Baldwin County Commission Chairman Chris Elliott spoke publicly about his DUI arrest in Fairhope last year for the first time since the event occurred.

Elliott had been speaking about several issues before the commission, including several roads projects and the recent school tax continuation, but said he wanted to speak to the group about something difficult.

“A while back, I was pulled over in Fairhope after leaving a charity event for a DUI,” Elliott said. “I’m sure most of you have heard about that.”

Elliott said the incident was a humbling experience for him and he felt is was important to face the consequences of his actions.

“I have always thought the measure of a person is not whether or not you make a mistake, but how you handle that mistake,” Elliott said. “We all make mistakes. I made a mistake. It’s how you handle that mistake, it’s about whether or not you ask for forgiveness.”

Elliott told the group the case against him had been recently resolved, and he wanted to be open and honest about what happened.

“That’s exactly what I did was own it, not ask for any favors, not ask to be treated any differently that anybody else and accepted the consequences,” Elliott said. “I pled guilty to municipal charges. That’s an expensive thing to do.”

Elliott said that his driver’s license is currently suspended and will be for the rest of the month.

“I’m bumming rides off of friends right now,” Elliott said. “Luckily, I’ve got some really good friends that will do that.”

Elliott said he felt it was important to speak with the group about the issue because of his status as a public official in the community.

“I think it’s important when you look at your leaders to see how they handle the adversity as well,” Elliott said. “I can tell you its been stressful - it’s been stressful on me, on my wife, my family, my business. I will tell you I’ve kept working for y’all. I haven’t missed a single commission meeting, and we’ve been getting some great things done.”

When Elliott finished speaking, the room was filled with applause. Republican Women member Margaret Norton immediately responded by saying she was proud of Elliott for addressing the issue.

“There is not a one of us in this room who at some point has not done something we’re ashamed of,” Norton said. “All of these experiences make us who we are today. We’ve all gone down this road. You are a wonderful extemporaneous speaker, and I think you’re doing a great job on the commission as well.”

Norton then got up and hugged Elliott, who appeared visibly moved by the gesture.

Following the meeting, Elliott took time to further explain the situation.

“When this first happened we put out a quick statement on it and then we really needed to not talk about it until the legal issues were settled,” Elliott said. “And they’re settled now as of last week, so it was time to kind of bookend this.”

Elliott reiterated the process he went through with the charges against him were no different than what any other citizen could do.

“There were absolutely no favors on this,” Elliott said. “We went through it just like anyone else would. I’ve tried to take responsibility for the mistake, apologize for the mistake and then, frankly, deal with the punishment that is due for the mistake. That’s exactly what happened here.”

Elliott said the municipal charges from Fairhope, running a red light and the DUI, were settled “some time ago.” He said the issue settled last week was the license suspension from the state.

“The ALEA suspension is 45 days,” Elliott said.

Elliott said he has learned a great deal from the experience.

“This has been a very humbling experience, and that’s not a bad thing,” Elliott said. “Sometimes, it’s a good thing to kind of get a gut check. I’ve learned that I was doing some things I shouldn’t do, but I’ve also learned that I’ve got some really good friends, I’ve got a a really good family and at the end of the day I fell incredibly blessed to call Baldwin County my home.”