Summerfield Town Councilmember Todd Rotruck said this week that he is considering appealing a new decision by the NC Court of Appeals to the NC Supreme Court. Earlier this week, a three-judge panel of the appellate court ruled to uphold decisions by Guilford County Board of Elections and a Guilford County Superior Court that found Rotruck was not a resident of Summerfield when he ran for a seat on the Summerfield Town Council and won in 2017.

On Wednesday, Sept. 4, a day after that decision was made public, Rotruck said that he has 30 days from the recent decision to file an appeal with the state’s Supreme Court.   He said that he had been discussing the matter with his attorneys and he added that, after those discussions with his attorneys, he did believe there were legal problems with the decision against him by the Court of Appeals.

“We have 30 days to evaluate it,” Rotruck said this week. “My appellate attorney is looking at it and we are seeing what to do.”

The case has gone on for over a year and a half and Rotruck in the past has shown no hint of backing down, however taking it to the NC Supreme Court – and, who knows, perhaps the US Supreme Court – would mean a new level of time, money and dedication to the effort to regain the town council seat.

Rotruck said that the process has been exhausting and he said one thing he’s doing right now is just taking a little time off from even thinking about the case to clear his mind after this long process. He said he was obviously disappointed with the decision but he has felt compelled to pursue it for the sake of the town and for those people who voted him into office.

Summerfield Town Councilmember John O’Day said this week that he hopes the town can now move past this issue once and for all.

“I believe an outcome that provided clarity was the best Summerfield citizens could expect,” O’Day said. “A unanimous decision by the Court of Appeals gives us that. I sincerely hope this signals we are nearing the end of this issue for our community.”