Georgia politician battling suit over gender
RIVERDALE, Ga. - Four years after she won a City Council seat, making her what is believed to be Georgia’s first transgender politician, Michelle Bruce is battling a lawsuit launched by an unsuccessful opponent who claims she misled voters by running as a female.
Bruce said she has always identified herself as transgender.
“I’ve always been Michelle,” she said. “If someone has a problem with that, I can’t help them. It’s a personal issue.”
Bruce, 46, who runs an auto-repossession business, began her political campaign in 2003. Running unopposed, she landed one of four council seats and pledged to attract more jobs and residents to Riverdale, a town of 12,000 about 12 miles south of Atlanta, lined with rundown strip malls and used-car shops.
Three rivals ran against her in the Nov. 6 election. She captured 312 votes, not enough to avoid a Dec. 4 runoff against second-place finisher Wayne Hall, who earned 202 votes.
Then the third-place finisher, Georgia Fuller, who collected 171 votes, filed a lawsuit claiming election fraud.
The complaint, identifying Bruce as “Michael Bruce,” claims she misled voters by identifying herself as female. It asks a judge to rule the November election results invalid and order another general election.
Fuller did not return calls seeking comment, but her attorney said that voters in Riverdale tend to favor female candidates, particularly if they are incumbents.
“It gives her an unfair advantage,” said attorney Michael King. “It’s not just sour grapes. The people need to know whether the election is fair.”
The suit is unlikely to be settled before the Dec. 4 runoff, but Bruce sees it as an attempt to alienate her from voters.
“They’re just distracting the voters from the issues. Everybody in my district knows me, everyone in Riverdale knows me,” she said. “I’ve done a real good job representing the people. I’m Michelle. I’m the same Michelle they elected four years ago.”
Riverdale City Attorney Deana Johnson said Bruce’s identity was no mystery to her constituents.
“She has served as councilperson for four years as Michelle Bruce,” she said. “It sounds like a case of politics.”