Setting the Record Straight

In this blog entry I feel compelled to address things other than the many pressing issues facing our city, so that I can set the record straight regarding the negative attacks of one of my opponents, Ms. Rebecca Williams. She has started off her campaign, in her very first blog posting, going negative.

You see, I have always acted independently and acted for the community good. It is a balance that I strive for in every decision facing me, and facing our city. It is this balancing that has given me the ability to work with anyone who will work with me toward a clear, positive aim, and gives me the strength of character to look beyond old political lines, alliances, fights and victories to accomplish for the good of Plainfield.

So, Ms. Williams has turned this kind of thoughtful, across-the-lines collaboration into me going wherever the wind might blow. This is clearly a strategy when you are against an opponent who has a track record of accomplishments. The strategy? Don't talk about the issues: try to disparage or belittle the person.

Ms. Williams’ attacks are to be expected from such a partisan candidate, but what surprises me is the flip-flopping on her part. Many of you will not know, but Ms. Williams personally and actively sought the endorsement of Regular Democratic Organization (RDO) Chairman Jerry Green for months and months.

Ms Williams and Mr. Adrian Mapp actively urged the Chairman to endorse her and give her the RDO line. The carrot for Mr. Green? Long term cooperation from Ms Williams and Mr Mapp.

But many of you will recall, Mr. Green had already pledged to give me the line a year ago, so they were asking him to break a promise he made in public. For a candidate who claims to represent the ideal of ethical leadership, this doesn’t make much sense.

Immediately after the formal announcement that Mr. Green had in fact kept his promise and picked me to run on the RDO line, Ms Williams attacked me for working with him. If this endorsement is such a liability, I can only ask her why she herself sought it so vociferously?

Makes you wonder doesn't it?

While Ms. Williams proudly proclaims that she is “unbought,” I can only wonder what her first blog posting would have looked like if she had gotten the line? The truth is that she is “unbought” because no one was buying it.

Now, I respected her attempts to gain his endorsement, because the ability to work with all sides and the recognition that no office holder works alone is crucial to the success of the city. What I do not respect is attacking someone for obtaining, through years of service and hard work, what you yourself could not.

I do not respect attacking someone because they choose to give their endorsement to someone else rather than you.

Finally, to be clear, I will not sit idle and let my opponents and their surrogates spread incorrect and false accusations against me. I will speak out and I will set the record straight. We should not attack people for what we ourselves do- this is the definition of hypocrisy.

I ask that the voters of Plainfield be wary of such hypocrisy in the weeks ahead.