I didn't think it would help anything to publicize the worst things I saw in the County Legislature races during the election, but now that the votes are counted, I'd like to make certain that these pieces get on the record and stay there.
In the District 13 race, Dave Restey sent out an attack piece to Republicans (1025KB PDF) notable for the number of things it got wrong. Martha Robertson replied in depth with a last-minute mailing.
In the District 14 race, the Coalition for Change did an insert in the Shopper that was simply bizarre, combining a cartoon and a story (139KB PDF or 216KB selectable) that made claims which no one who'd been paying the slightest attention to how the legislature actually runs could have believed. While Tim Joseph and Mike Lane have a working relationship, describing them as allies is so wrong as to be hysterically funny, and the fairy tale the Coalition presented so clumsily makes most fairy tales seem plausible.
(The Coalition for Change did a later insert (169KB PDF or 244KB selectable) with a much stronger connection to reality, though in practice it illustrated that they were really the Coalition for Name Change, endorsing all the Republican candidates while claiming to be non-partisan.)
The worst of the attacks, from my perspective, is a key sentence in the middle of an otherwise unsurprising radio ad (957KB MP3):
Announcer: This year there's been a lot of talk about 0% increases in Tompkins County taxes. Talk is cheap, our taxes aren't. During the past four years our tax levy increased by 65%.
Steve Trumbull: This is Steve Trumbull. As Dryden Town Supervisor I have worked with Mike Hattery on the Town Board. I know first-hand that Mike is conservative about how your tax dollars are spent, and has fifteen years of board experience with emergency services, public works, and planning. Isn't it time to have Dryden values, not Ithaca values, represent us in county government?
Reba Taylor: I'm Reba Taylor. As Dryden Mayor, I've worked with Mike Hattery when he served as Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor. Mike is very well qualified because that's been his job for 24 years with Cornell's local government program. Every day, Mike works directly with communities across the state, promoting intermunicipal cooperation and cost savings. If we want change, we need Mike Hattery to represent District 14 on the Tompkins County Legislature.
Mike Hattery: This is Mike Hattery. I value your vote on November 8th, and thank the Friends of Mike Hattery who have paid for this message.
Arguing that Mike Lane represents "Ithaca values" is simply appalling, and I note that they didn't dare put Mike's name anywhere near that absurd claim, perhaps because they knew that anyone paying attention would laugh them out of Dryden.
Posted by simon at November 13, 2005 12:25 PM in politics (local)