A judge dismissed
a lawsuit Monday that had claimed a transgender city
councilwoman tried to fool voters by running as a female,
and the candidate was set to seek reelection Tuesday.
The ruling
cleared the way for a runoff to include Michelle Bruce, who
is running for her second term on the city council in
the Atlanta suburb of Riverdale.
''It was a waste
of taxpayers' money and the court's time for a frivolous
lawsuit,'' said Bruce, 46. ''They're trying to derail the
wish of the voters.''
City attorney
Deana Johnson said the decision means the runoff slated for
Tuesday will be held as scheduled, barring a ruling
otherwise from the Georgia supreme court.
Bruce landed one
of Riverdale's four council seats in 2003 after running
unopposed. She was believed to be the state's first
transgender politician. She has declined to say
whether she had surgery to change her sex.
Bruce captured
312 votes in the November 6 election, not enough to avoid
a runoff against Wayne Hall, who earned 202 votes.
Third-place finisher Georgia Fuller, who collected 171
votes, filed the lawsuit.
The complaint,
identifying Bruce as ''Michael Bruce,'' claimed she misled
voters by identifying herself as a female and asked a judge
to rule the votes invalid and order another general
election.
Fuller and her
attorney, Mike King, did not respond to phone calls
Monday.
King has said
Bruce's female name gave her an ''unfair advantage''
because the town's voters tend to vote for women --
particularly incumbent women. (Greg Bluestein, AP)
