Matt Shirk seeks 3rd term: “I’ve owned up to my mistakes … moving forward”

Humbled, contrite, and saying he’s found Jesus, 4th Circuit Public Defender Matt Shirk is forging ahead with a campaign for a third term, despite a grand jury urging him to quit after scandal plagued his tenure in office.

“I have a good record to stand on and intend to make that known to the public,” he told WJCT in an exclusive interview with this reporter.

“I’m not infallible, I’m human, and I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve owned up to the mistakes. I’m moving forward.”

Shirk’s second term was marred by revelations that he sent sexually suggestive text messages to employees, deleted public records, and may have inappropriately used campaign funds. Shirk refused to resign, and Gov. Rick Scott rejected a grand jury recommendation that he remove Shirk, saying it was up to the voters to decide.

Shirk is rolling the dice that the voters of Northeast Florida will give him another chance. He’s drawn a challenger, retired Duval County judge Charles Cofer, who told Florida Politics that the incumbent is “all icing and no cake.”

Shirk disagrees.

“We have an incredible positive record in the office. We’ve improved efficiency, returned tax dollars every year. We’ve improved the way our attorneys are handling cases, and increased the acquittal rate for our clients to over 72 percent.”

He also touted the Circuit’s Vision for Excellence program targeting at-risk youth, a veterans’ treatment court, and “smart justice” initiatives.

All worthy endeavors for a Public Defender.

But of course, it’s the public trust issue that will weigh most heavily in the minds of those casting ballots in this race, something the incumbent is well aware of.

“To the extent that the public’s lost trust in me I apologize. I can’t change decisions I’ve made. I’ve learned from mistakes I made.”

And like so many politicians before him who’ve endured such a trial by fire, Shirk says his crisis in office has brought him closer to God.

“I had a transformational personal encounter with Jesus Christ that changed my life on September 1st of 2013, which was right in the middle of all this controversy. I had been running from God for 40 years of my life and he allowed me to come to the end of myself. And it brought me to a place that I am today. I will never turn back. It has changed my thought process in the way I lead in the office, it has changed everything about me. I pray every day that the kind of decisions that have led us to this discussion won’t happen again. You can call it whatever you’d like. I think it’s being apart from God, and relying on myself and the sinful nature of man. I’m a human being. We’re all sinful people. But I take responsibility for my actions and my decisions. I’ve moved on from that.”

Shirk, a Republican, ousted longtime Public Defender Bill White (a Democrat) in 2008. He and Cofer will likely face each other as the two Republicans in the race in the Aug. 30 primary with all registered voters eligible to cast a ballot.

The winner in that contest would then face a Democrat or person with no party affiliation in the general election Nov. 8.

A University of North Florida poll from last spring found 37 percent of area voters disapproved of Shirk’s performance, but just as many voters said they didn’t know enough about the local public defender to make a decision. As the scandal begins to fade from voters’ memories, Shirk begins his re-election gambling on the public’s capacity for forgiveness.

“I do enjoy the job. I enjoy fighting for justice, and I enjoy advocating for programs that actually help the community.”