Friday, November 02, 2012

Another letter to the editor in the Reflector.

Former county commissioner candidate Darren Wertz endorses Tom Mielke.

Tanner political ad gives wrong implication

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Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 9:00 am
When I saw the large campaign ad for Joe Tanner in last week’s Reflector showing him and Ron Onslow and Lisa Walters as the Mayors of Ridgefield and Battle Ground, it seemed the ad was saying that the cities of Ridgefield and Battle Ground, as evidenced by their Mayors, have backed Mr. Tanners campaign.
I was initially taken back and then curious regarding the implication of unanimous City support.  I inquired of the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington which is the research authority used by elected officials in this state. The legal consultant with the MRSC responded “An elected official may use his or her title, but should clarify that he/she is speaking on his/her own behalf, and not on behalf of the agency. If the elected legislative body has adopted a resolution, the official can then speak on behalf of the agency.”
I checked with other council members from Ridgefield and from Battle Ground and there seems not to have been any such resolutions passed. The fact that the ad lists Ron and Lisa as Mayor of the City of ___ and then their name with no disclosure that it is only a private endorsement, does a disservice to the office of those mayors and to the cities misrepresented.
As you know, I ran in the primary for this County Commissioner position and have held off endorsing either candidate to those intelligent, good looking and generally wonderful people who supported me.  My campaign was motivated by a desire for better government. Honesty is very important to me.
While I do not agree with everything Mr. Mielke stands for, I can now say with conviction that I personally will support him over Mr. Tanner and urge my supporters to consider a similar position.
Darren S. Wertz
Council Position #5
City of Ridgefield

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