Letter: Candidate Responds to Ad

At first, my Republican opposition tried the innovative tactic of candidate suppression directed at me. When the attempt to keep me off the ballot failed, they resorted to the hackneyed tactics of suppression of my freedom of speech! This took the form of an intimidating telephone call from John Argoudelis to one of my supporters to remove my campaign sign from the latter’s property, followed by wholesale theft of my signs.

Now, just a few days before the election, my opposition has sent out a direct mailing that employs a tactic that has come to typify the Republican Party: distortion of the opponent’s position. Of course, this is done with a combination of omissions and taking parts of sentences out of context.

The mail piece in question takes only the first ten words of a lengthy sentence, places them in quotes, then finishes the sentence with an ellipsis Specifically, “The County is clearly in need of more tax revenues…” They cited my answer to a Plainfield Patch questionnaire. However, that ellipsis [“…”] contained a whole lot of integral information and nuance with respect to my message. Of course, the implication is a distortion of my message, deliberately leaving the impression that I will push for tax increases.

What Ms. Goodson and Mr. Argoudelis failed to include in the quote was the following:“…in order to serve both the current population and to finance the neededimprovements in infra-structure to be prepared for the anticipated growth[in population]. No one wishes to see an increase in tax rates…if it can be avoided… Therefore, the county must expand its economic base in order togenerate more revenues.”

I ask you: does that sound like it is my intent to raise your taxes, when the context is provided?!

What is amazing to me is the sheer hypocrisy and dishonesty used by my opposition and their party. The entire Plainfield Village Board of Trustees is comprised of Republicans. They just increased the tax rate on residential property from 40 to 43 cents per $100 of equalized property value assessments. This was a necessary move in order to maintain and further the quality of village services.

Where is all this compassion for the plight of Will County taxpayers that my opponents expressed in their latest hit piece mail out about me, when it comes to the actions of their own partisans? Just remember, if there’s an ellipsis, it is probably an attempt at eclipsing the truth!

Reed Bible

Plainfield

Candidate for Will County Board, District 5