There is a well-known saying that could have been created for this situation and Harper Hill, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (or women) to do nothing.”

Everything negative that I have learned about Harper Hill, I learned in the past five weeks. What I learned was disturbing. And I decided that it was the type of information that you, and the other voters in DeLand, deserved to know and needed to know.

My direct mail piece about Harper Hill details his 2020 arrest for domestic violence (Case: 2020 104922 MMDL). The West Volusia Beacon detailed the same arrest in their online version of their paper.  

The Beacon also mentioned Harper Hill’s 2001 assault case (Case: 2001 008362 MMAWS), another case in 2022 when the court issued an order to remove all four of Harper’s children from his custody (Case: 2022-10466 CJDL), and an active domestic violence case that is currently being investigated by the DeLand Police Department and the State’s Attorney’s Office (DeLand Police Department incident reports, 240002931 and 240003171).

So, it’s not just me exposing Harper Hill’s dark side. It is also the media. And the information that I provided, and that The Beacon provided, is a matter of public record. You can easily confirm that information by going to the Clerk of the Court of Volusia County website. And doing a case inquiry, by either “Charles Harper Hill” or by the case number.

I also recommend that you read, and reflect on, Harper Hill’s excuses and defenses. He describes his 2020 arrest for domestic violence as a “misunderstanding.” To be clear, he was charged with “Battery, Domestic Violence.” He grabbed his wife, pushed her into the fireplace, and she had visible injuries. And he did this in front of their children.

He also broadly describes other assaults, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) taking his four children away from him, and a domestic violence case CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION, as “mistakes” or “challenges.”

Harper Hill also boasts about never having been convicted. Those with wealth, however, can afford very skillful attorneys, who can often perform legal miracles. Remember the O.J. Simpson murder trial? 

And then there is the intimidation factor to consider. It is challenging for prosecutors to get a conviction, when victims and witnesses may be so afraid of Harper Hill that they decline to sign papers and/or refuse to testify.

To believe Harper Hill’s version of all these cases, everyone involved would have to be either lying or mistaken. Those include his victims, his children, the relatives of the children (their mother, their father and their grandparents), many law enforcement officers and employees of the Department of Children and Families, juvenile courts and the media.

Elections are about your choices and the contrasts between the candidates.

Harper Hill was arrested for domestic violence. I have been with my wife, Aida Tatum Paiva, for 50 years. She is the love of my life, my companion and my friend. I try to treat her with understanding and tenderness. And, not once in 50 years, has law enforcement responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance at our home.

When the Department of Children and Families (DCF) took Harper Hill’s four children away from him (in 2022), DCF stated that the PROBABLE CAUSE FOR REMOVAL, was that Harper Hill’s children were abused, abandoned or neglected. The children are in imminent danger of injury as a result of abuse. Present danger threats exist within the household. And insufficient protective capacities exist to manage the danger threats.

In contrast, our son Charles has always been our highest priority. Aida and I love him, we nurtured him, we encouraged him, and we supported him in everything that he did. We have always done everything that we could do to keep him safe. Our home was a peaceful haven for him. And DCF has never had any grounds to remove him – from our home.

Another pushback on me by Harper Hill is that he is focused on important issues. I believe that it is “important” for you, and other voters in DeLand, to know as much as you can about Harper Hill and me? So that you can make an informed decision about which one of us is going to represent you, lead DeLand, and represent DeLand.

Whatever, and whoever you believe, there is no debate that Harper Hill’s family and personal life has been in constant turmoil. He is also CURRENTLY under investigation for domestic violence (slamming his first wife against a brick wall at their son’s school two months ago). This means that Harper Hill is in jeopardy of being arrested, at any time.

Harper Hill would like you to believe that all these cases are “misunderstandings, mistakes or challenges.” One occurrence might be an anomaly. Three, four, five, etc. instances of abusing others, is a disturbing pattern. Most people do not have to be an FBI Behavioral Profiler, to come to an accurate conclusion about what type of person Harper Hill really is. One who is unfit to lead DeLand.

Richard “Charlie” Paiva
Candidate for DeLand City
Commission Seat 2