Goldman for Mayor - 14 July 2008 - For Immediate Release - Contact, 804-833-6313
Goldman says "at least this candidate for Mayor wants an honest, positive campaign, not more of the same kind of divisive politics that has so badly hurt Richmond starting with Fiasco Friday and continuing today."
"The time has come for the Wilder Administration to stop using public money, this time in their so-called "Visions Newsletter", to build a negative attack-case against a candidate for Mayor, in part by purposely failing to give the people all the relevant facts."
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, released the following statement today regarding the latest version of Mayor Wilder's so-called "newsletter" produced and paid-for with public money:
" The Wilder Administration's so-called "Visions Newsletter" purposely fails to reveal a key fact in another tax-payer funded negative attack on a candidate for Mayor, although this attack was not by name, nor was it the only substance."
We read today in the so-called "Visions" newsletter the following, written and published using public dollars:
" In 1995, they [the public] voted 2-1 in favor of change to have the Mayor elected at-large and this proposal had the full support of Council, but it was stopped cold in the General Assembly by a former Richmond Mayor who substituted his own voice for the people's voice...
Why did the politicians repeatedly try to prevent change when the people so clearly called for it? Fortunately, the people knew that a change in government was essential to the future of Richmond. "
But this so-called "newsletter" purposely omits a pertinent newsworthy fact: Doug Wilder himself worked to block what the "people so clearly called for." That's right: What the Mayor now concedes was so vital to Richmond, what the Mayor now concedes was the basic fundamental democratic reform needed to get a Rodney Monroe to become Police Chief, he worked to make sure was "stopped cold in the General Assembly." Indeed, he has never been shy about discussing his role behind the scenes in that regard.
"You [the people] were patient in 1995 when narrow interests suppressed your voice to directly elect the Mayor" declares the newsletter at any other point.
Yet it was Doug Wilder who was one of those "narrow interests" that "suppressed" the voice of the people!
Do the writers of this missive have such a low opinion of the press and public that they feel we have no interest in a fair discussion of the facts?
In terms of this attack on Mr. Jones, the so-called "newsletter" attacks him for what they claim he did or didn't do relative to the 2003 referendum.
I see no reason to repeat this attack here.
But I do see a reason to remind the Mayor and others about why some of us took the lead position in doing all the real grunt work to make the Elected Mayor law a reality.
The Elected Mayor change was not only an effort at structural improvement, it was also an effort to move Richmond past the old politics of division. As the leader of the petition drive and the Referendum campaign, I said repeatedly it was not possible to build a new Richmond on the old, discredited, divisive politics.
Sadly, those writing the Wilder Administration's so-called "newsletter" either took no part in making all this historic change a reality, or have no real appreciation for how to move Richmond forward."
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2 comments:
There are no limits to Mr. Wilder's dishonesty and hypocrisy.Preston M. Yancy
The Elected Mayor change was not only an effort at structural improvement, it was also an effort to move Richmond past the old politics of division
That hasn't worked out too well has it. You very rarely mention your part in this fiasco. Giving all that power to one man has had it's drawbacks don't you think?
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