Mayor of Rutledge

Almost every time C. Scott Shields got his name in the paper – which was a lot – it was usually preceded by two words.

Rutledge Mayor.

Not everybody was thrilled with the notoriety that often accompanied the causes Shields championed. They wanted us to differentiate between Shields the controversial lawyer, and Shields the mayor of Rutledge. They seemed to take great umbrage that their little town was being dragged into the limelight, along with hizzoner.

I happened to like Shields, even though I disagreed with him most of the issues.

Shields, an attorney in addition to being the mayor of the tiny borough of less than 1,000 people, was tragically killed on Friday in a skydiving accident.

Those of us in the same “social media” circle as Shields knew of his affinity for living on the edge, and skydiving was his latest passion. He posted about it often on his Facebook page.

You could say C. Scott Shields was a "driven" person. He was always pushing the limits, and that included both his personal and professional lifes.

Every conversation I had with Shields, he could not have been nicer. No, we didn’t usually agree. And yes, he often called to disagree with an editorial stance we had taken or say we were mischaracterizing one of his positions.

I always made him the same offer I make to most people who disagree with
us: Give me your side of the situation and I’ll run it on the op-ed page. Only Shields usually did just that. He would make a forceful, powerful argument for his positions, which almost always fell on basic Constitutional beliefs.

As a lawyer, Shields made a name for himself challenging the status quo, and liberal positions. He was what you could probably define as a “passionate conservative.”

He would routinely represent the National Rifle Association, and hustle into court whenever some local governing body took aim at gun laws. That would include successfully blocking an attempt by the city of Philadelphia to make its own restrictions on firearms. While it was being applauded by many, Shields pointed out one tiny problem, the courts have ruled that role is the sole province of the state Legislature. The law was blocked.

He also would put his name behind people like street evangelist Michael Marcavage of Lansdowne. Marcavage had a habit of making a scene at events promoting things he disagreed with, in particular gay-lesbian affairs. Sometimes he would be cited or arrested for his vigorous opposition. Shields would represent him, and argue that the First Amendment was not restricted to protecting speech we agree with.

Shields died last week at an impossibly young age of 45. There’s nothing fair about it.

But I’m glad I met him. And I’m glad his opinions graced our pages as often as they did.

And for those who tired of seeing “Rutledge Mayor” precede his controversial stands, I make no apology.

Neither would Scott Shields.

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