From Salina one for the you will never believe what the democratic candidate (Gary Swartzendruber) did to his own children department - Wonder if Paul Davis supports this guy. ------------------ Court: Swartzendruber Launched “Mean-Spirited” Retaliation Against His Children Court Records Show Candidate “Consistently Avoided Financial Contribution” Toward Raising of His Children Salina, Kan. -- Gary Swartzendruber, the Democrat candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives, abandoned his family and repeatedly avoided providing for their basic needs after being ordered to pay modest child support. “It is clear that [Gary Swartzendruber] has consistently avoided financial contribution, as evidenced by accrual of substantial arrearages under the Court’s original support order and his failure to comply with a voluntary agreement,” wrote Saline County District Court Judge Daniel Hebert. Swartzendruber, in an attempt to leverage his children to avoid paying support, threatened to cancel student loans and government grants for his own son if Judge Hebert ordered support be paid. He also threatened the applications for student financial aid for his daughter. “The Court is at a loss to understand [Gary Swartzendruber’s] apparently mean-spirited “trade-off” that if he is ordered to pay support, he will somehow retaliate through cancellation of [his son’s] PELL Grant application and Stafford Loan, and refuse to participate in such applications for [his daughter],” wrote Judge Hebert. Judge Hebert continued, explaining that the loans and grants cost Swartzendruber nothing. Grants do not require repayment and loans are the obligation of the student, leaving only ‘mean-spirited’ retaliation as a justification for canceling the financial aid. Hiding From Law Enforcement According to the Court, Swartzendruber purposely hid income and took low-wage jobs to avoid supporting his children and their education. “The Court has concerns… as to why an admittedly able-bodied, sound of mind man with a college education from a recognized university is barely able to generate a minimum wage,” wrote Judge Hebert. “He cannot suggest that because of his choice, he can now foist off on [his former wife] the proportional financial responsibilities which emanate from his fatherhood.” Swartzendruber was consistently in arrears on child support; with sums reaching $6,650 and resulting in repeated wage garnishments from Swartzendruber’s job as a used car salesman, handyman and insurance salesman. Swartzendruber spent most of his career in Salina selling used cars at several different “buy here, pay here” lots, including The Car Shoppe and Broadway E-Z Pay Used Cars. According to Saline County District Court records, Swartzendruber repeatedly evaded law enforcement officers by hiding in his rented home to avoid service of Court documents. On multiple occasions, he failed to appear at Court hearings regarding the welfare and education of his own children. According to reports Swartzendruber abandoned his children for over a year. Women’s “Proper” Place Swartzendruber made bizarre statements concerning women and their “proper place” in an attempt to get out of paying child support. In his writings to Judge Hebert, he claimed that his children needed to become “independent” as an apparent excuse for avoiding support payments throughout their childhood. He stated that his wife would have the Court “help her stay in her ‘proper’ place in the God, man, woman hierarchy of power!” in rambling statements to Judge Hebert that included repeated references to women being inferior to men. He went on to list the hierarchy in numerical order multiple times in written statements to the Court. Swartzendruber excused his failure to provide financially for his kids by claiming child support perpetuated his former wife’s “ongoing psychological and/or financial dependency” on himself in writing to Judge Hebert. Rather than viewing child support payments as a responsibility for raising his children, Swartzendruber’s rambling statements indicate he believes women who receive child support to care for children are dependent on their former spouses. “Seems to [me], in these circumstances, asking for and receiving subsidy is willful participation in traditional female subservience!” wrote Swartzendruber. “[I] believe that deep down [my former wife] and/or other women are striving for ‘independence’ and/or interdependence rather than to perpetuate dependency!” Women’s Advocate Responds “A parent’s resistance to participate in the raising of his/her children is one of the leading causes of poverty for Kansas children,” said Kathy Allen, program director at the Ashby House, a women’s shelter that provides services for women and children in need in Salina. “Kids are expensive to raise in any family demographic, but extremely difficult as a single parent,” said Allen. “Insurance, school fees, after school activities, child care, clothes, the list goes on and on.” Allen said she sees too many absentee parents, in her experience, excuse their behavior while dismissing the costs of raising children. “Having the kids stay one night each week, for example, cannot be mistaken as support for their children,” said Allen. “We see the negative impact of non-support of children every day in our emergency shelter.” Impact on Election Swartzendruber is running for the 69th District House seat currently held by incumbent Representative J.R. Claeys (R-Salina). “Gary Swartzendruber has made it clear how he feels about family by threatening his children’s education while skipping out on supporting his kids throughout their childhood,” said Dakotah Parshall, spokesman for the Claeys campaign. “Gary doubled-down on his feelings with bizarre attempts to excuse his failure to provide for his children.” Parshall said Swartzendruber’s actions as a deadbeat shows he doesn’t share the values of the people of Salina or the people of Kansas. “Child abandonment speaks to Gary Swartzendruber’s values,” said Parshall. “The people of the 69th District believe in family and they take care of one another.” The Claeys campaign called into question Swartzendruber’s ability to vote in the interests of Saline County women and children when he would treat his own children so poorly. “When the state acts to crack down on deadbeats like Swartzendruber who skip out on their kids, who do you want fighting for your values?” asked Parshall. “J.R. Claeys, who stands up for family, or Gary, who skipped out on his family and threatened to cancel his kid’s college loans out of spite.” Reference: Saline County District Court Case 83D-210
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 22:20:23 +0000
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