The race for the District 14 City Council seat pitting three-term incumbent Angela Hunt against openly gay political newcomer James Nowlin has gotten down and dirty.
One of Nowlin’s supporters recently ran a full-page ad attacking Hunt in Dallas Voice (shown above), blaming the incumbent for everything from potholes on Lemmon Avenue to a loss of city funding for HIV/AIDS services. The ad, paid for by Steven Graves, also claims Hunt has been either late or absent from 80 percent of City Council meetings and that she had requested a review of council salaries in hope of getting a raise.
Then in the comments section of a Viewpoints column endorsing Hunt, Nowlin supporters took aim at Hunt, her supporters, the writer (yours truly) and anyone else who happened to stumble into the fracas. The supporters claimed Hunt had not been a strong advocate for the community and challenged anyone reading their comments to prove otherwise.
In a telephone interview today, Hunt said that she did not want to engage in a mudslinging contest with Nowlin and his supporters, but she did maintain that she has been an outspoken advocate for the community and a dedicated public servant.
“I’m proud of my record,” said Hunt, who notes that she not only shows up at community events but participates fully. “I think it is important for straight allies to have a voice and speak out in support of the community. I’ve done that. I get up on stage and speak and let my voice be heard.”
Hunt said she has spoken out publicly at meetings and protests in support of marriage equality and funding of HIV/AIDS services. The incumbent said she and District 2 Councilwoman Pauline Medrano pushed for an investigation into why 53 cases of alleged discrimination based on sexual orientation had not been investigated by city staff.
As regards her attendance at City Council meetings, Hunt said that other than two voting meetings that took place while she was on maternity leave, she had missed only two other voting meetings during the past two years. The incumbent said on most mornings before council meetings she meets with constituents rather than attend the ceremonial pledge of allegiance and opening prayer, which causes her to be counted late.
As for the Nowlin campaign’s claim that Hunt requested a review to increase council pay and term-limits, the memo in question makes no mention of either item. The memo to the city manager asks for a charter review commission, and it bears the signature of numerous council members in addition to Hunt.
Nowlin supporters have suggested that Hunt did nothing to save $325,000 for HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention services that was cut from the city’s 2009-10 budget. But a Dallas Voice story dated Oct. 2, 2009, points out that the incumbent introduced an unsuccessful budget amendment seeking to reinstate the funding.
Even though Hunt’s budget amendment failed, the city staff managed to secure a $247,000 federal grant for HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention. “This is such a relief,” Hunt told DV at the time. “I know this has been such a serious concern to the GLBT community and me and other council members who wanted to ensure that we had HIV/AIDS education and prevention funding.”
As for the potholes on Lemmon Avenue, even former Mayor Laura Miller — who became known as the “Pothole Queen” because of her campaign promises — was never able to get rid of all those headaches. Like weeds, they keep coming back, especially in bad economic times.
I don’t know who gave Nowlin the advice to run such a nasty, misleading campaign but they’ve done him no favors. Instead of selling himself, he’s sought to drag Angela into the mud at every opportunity by spreading half-truths and outright lies. Anyone who is paying attention knows she has been a friend to the community, not matter what this Johnny-come-lately says. I hope she wipes the floor with Nowlin. After he loses, I promise I’ll never support him for anything.
Angela didn’t do SQUAT to save Easter in the Park, but wanted to be front-and-center when it came to judging the pooch parade. She also likes to show up at past events (like her graffiti clean up efforts) right as the news cameras arrive. She’s a sham.
Angela Hunt has been a great friend and supporter of our community. I look forward to her victory over Nowlin next Saturday
You said it. I guess Nowlin figures this is the way they run for office in Virginia. This guy wouldn’t know the truth if it walked up and slapped in the face. I can’t believe the Dallas Voice is supporting someone so disreputable. Not only would I never vote for Nowlin in anything after this. but his supporter Steven Graves who claims to have paid for the mud slinging ad has just lost a customer in me and 2 of my neighbors.
Guess we know who the Voice is gunning for. What, exactly, as Angela DONE for the GLBT or wider Oaklawn community? I know we have her vote when needed, but when has she truly LED a fight for us? Riding in the pride parade every year proves she’s a friend, but is she a REAL ADVOCATE? James Nowlin is no liar; he simply expects accountability! So do I!
Correction: Riding in the pride parade actually proves nothing….Tom Leppert….all I’m sayin’.
The simple fact is that Angela Hunt has been there when we needed her and she’s probably the single best person on the council today. James Nowlin has been shopping around for SOMETHING to run for and he chose District 14 when he thought she was going to run for mayor. Nowlin claims to be active in organizations he only joined prior to this race (neighborhood associations, LULAC) but the reality is he is padding his slender resume with involvement that’s a mile wide and a millimeter thick. He had been very badly advised about going so negative and the fact he took that advice shows a lack of both judgment and character.
A few points:1) We should all be thankful for Councilwoman Hunt’s efforts to secure federal HIV/AIDS funding, and commend her for those efforts. However, we should imagine how much better the our city’s efforts to fight that horrible epidemic would be had the Councilwoman’s amendment passed. The entire saga seems emblematic of her inability to represent her constituents (and indeed constituencies) in City Council via the legislative process given her role as a divisive figure on that legislative body. The majority of the credit for the $247K should be given to the federal taxpayers, the HHS, and the Obama Administration for policies focusing on reducing the outbreak of HIV nationwide. 2) Speaking out for marriage equality at Dallas City Hall accomplishes nothing. That’s a debate that should be waged through a Texas constitutional ballot referendum. Councilwoman Hunt, of course, knows this. 3) A thorough review of the City Council minutes indicates that the Councilwoman is misrepresenting her attendance record. While meeting with constituents is indeed an important function of her job, it should not come at the expense of hearing the thoughts of concerned citizens on policy matters before the Council. No one should begrudge the Councilwoman taking maternity leave. The key question shouild be about her attendance record before she even knew she was pregnant. Her attendance record has remained consistently bad throughout the past term. 4) A policy-bassed negative advertisement is not inappropraite in any political campaign. Our great Declaration of Independence is, indeed, policy-based negative politics. 5) A time-tested campaign tactic is to turn any negative criticism against yourself into baseless “mud-slinging”. It was employed deftly by Bush after McCain called out his disgraceful tactics in the 2000 GOP primary. 6) On the topic of “mud-slinging”, I have a great many friends who live in the district’s southern, less accepting, region. They have told me of a homophobic whisper-campaign percolating through church groups and community meetings. This reminds me of the 1994 Bush campaign in its effort to unseat Gov. Richards. While I take Councilwoman Hunt at her word regarding her avoidance of mud-slinging, it is clear who benefits from such a whisper campaign the most. This race seems to have divided many communinities, and we will all be glad when it is over. Remember to fulfill your civic responsibilities and vote on May 14.
It sounds like Ms. Hunt is taking issue with her own record… it appears that whoever took out this ad (Nowlin is not mentioned anywhere in the entire ad) cited all of the facts. I would question if it’s mudslinging to call out an incumbant’s record of failure. Sounds like the Voice is acknowledging that Ms. Hunt’s record is mud.
On a side note, it never mentions in the article that the writer contacted the Nowlin campaign for comment. Was that an oversight or did it perhaps not fit their biased agenda? I guess journalistic integrity escapes Mr. Webb.
I’m voting for Nowlin and not because of that add from a supporter but because Hunt reminds me way too much of Leppert. She makes up the facts rather than relying upon the record to speak for itself. She makes me sick and The Voice is an embarrassment to our community to do her bidding without putting any effort into researching the facts.
In fact im heading to the polls now…
Sweet David, there you go again! Two weeks in a row, you give Angela free advertisement, yet do no investigation or responding with facts
1. You stated the ad was from the Nowlin campaign, when it was from a citizen. How irresponsible of you. It would be illegal for a campaign to give money to a private citizen for them to spend on an ad. It was clearly from a citizen who has strong concerns.
2. Thanks for calling Angela. Did you call the Nowlin campaign? Hmm. Now that’s one sided at its best.
3. Your response to asking for specifics was to call Angela, not investigate the facts. What did you do, other than giving Angela free air time to investigate? What happened to true journalism?
4. I think very few people have called into question Angela’s support for the community or her true personal affinity to it. What has been called into question is her ability to be an effective leader. So, once again David, I ask you to give me some examples of ideas that Angela came up with that she was able to effectively make happen. I’ll make it easier for you and say you can venture outside of LGBT issues. We need more than a supporter; we need an effective advocate.
5. David, what is wrong anyway with pointing out facts of an opponent? If it is not personal, and pointing out a record is not, and the candidate also touts their record, which Nowlin does, I fail to see what is so wrong with that? Please do some true journalism and investigate the issues (calling the opponent and relying on their response is not journalism).
Your blog is irresponsible, and it is irresponsible of the Dallas Voice to allow you to publish fact-less articles 2 weeks in a row. Where was the Voice when Nowlin announced he would give his salary back? When has the Voice called the Nowlin campaign and asked for comments? I have not seen that referenced in any Voice online or print article, yet I know of 4 times it has done so for Hunt. Irresponsible indeed.
The post has been corrected to reflect that the ad was actually paid for by Steven Graves.
Geeeezzzz how much is Hunt paying the voice? We cant have free and fair press how the heck can we have free and fair elections? Some body vote that women out of office she is embarrassing this city……
Wait a second. Am I missing something? Doesn’t it seem like bad business for a publication to take money for running an ad, and then write an editorial criticizing that very ad? WTF Advertisers beware!
BTW. I don’t see how stating facts is mud slinging. Facts is exactly what we want to see!
So tired of Angela hype. She is a celebrity in D14 and nothing more. Steve – Don’t worry about losing “Another 14 Voter”‘s business. I was actually shopping for a new homeowners policy today. Giving you a call right now!
I really have nothing to say against or for either candidate, other than to state that I have decided to vote for Angela Hunt. However, I’m appalled that every single posting is anonymous. If you’re gonna post something so passionate, have some balls, people. Otherwise, you’re just whining and hiding behind the internet.
Correction, EXCEPT for Erin and John 🙂
Ok last question… Can any of the Hunt supports (not Nowlin supports) give me one issue, just one that’s all i need where she has taken an issue from start to finish in support of gay rights or the community… Just one…
Key words start to finish….
These comments are hilarious.
Hunt is the only council member that actually thinks about what is good for the CITY, not some special interest. That is why we need more just like her.
That smarmy looking fake smiling Nowlin carpetbagger is exactly what we don’t need, some DC wannabe trying to get into office so he can snake his way up the ladder.
I’m tired of seeing his campaign crap littering all over the streets of Uptown.
I’d love to see Lemmon Ave scraped and repaved, but so long as we have a Council that thinks white water rafting on the Trinity Trickle and city owned hotels are more important, we need Angela to make noise and try to educate the idiot voters in this city.
@Erin, I too had heard from folks that the whisper campaign is going in full force. It’s interesting that Ms. Hunt, who claims to be such an ally (despite any hard evidence to support it), would condone her supporters’ smear campaign to try and make an issue of Nowlin’s sexual orientation. Has our community learned nothing from other allies (i.e. Leppert)? We need a competent gay representative on the council… Nowlin fits both bills and has my vote! Hunt has no credibility as a gay ally and more importantly, no credibility as an effective representative for her constituents. She’s proven as ineffective at getting anything done as The Voice has been proven to be incompetent at basic journalism.
So is anyone vote for Nowlin because His Gay?
Last week I wrote an opinion piece supporting Angela Hunt. In the comments section I was repeatedly challenged by anonymous critics to back up my argument that she was a strong advocate for the LGBT community. I wrote the blog today to explain why I thought that. I am not pretending to be unbiased in this matter.
My name is Craig McCartney, speaking officially for the James Nowlin Campaign for City Council.
There are numerous inaccuracies or misrepresentations in the above article, only one of which has been corrected– the ad in question was taken by Mr. Steven Graves, rather than the Nowlin Campaign. (I note that the Dallas Voice has corrected this attribution.)
It does not surprise me that Mr. Webb has failed to get his facts straight, nor does it surprise me that he interviewed Ms. Hunt about the ad in question. This clearly biased approach is consistent with the Dallas Voice posture of advocating in favor of Ms. Hunt. As a point of reference, the Dallas Voice has interviewed Ms. Hunt, perhaps most ironically when she was interviewed to get her reaction to Mr. Nowlin’s securing of the Stonewall Democrats endorsement. During this same period, the Dallas Voice did not request comment or interview from Mr. Nowlin or his campaign. The last such request was made in early February.
As this blog posting is the only way that this campaign has of communicating with some of the readers of the Dallas Voice due to this publication’s outlined lack of objectivity or simple journalistic standards, I will attempt to outline the campaign’s positions on issues raised in Mr. Webb’s article and to clarify what he has obfuscated.
In reference to the 53 complaints filed for anti-gay discrimination, I am unsure whether Mr. Webb is intentionally ignoring Ms. Hunt’s lack of action on the issue until this spring– when she suddenly faced an openly-gay challenger. A true and effective ally would have taken notice long before over four dozen complaints had accumulated.
Concerning attendance, Ms. Hunt is correct that she missed only two voting meetings during the past two years other than during her maternity leave. However, Ms. Hunt and Mr. Webb neglect to address the tardiness issue in any detail. Ms. Hunt’s average tardiness is 29 minutes late—a little more than just a ceremonial pledge and prayer, but certainly more than enough to miss 128 votes. This number, plus those votes that Ms. Hunt missed during her two absences, total nearly 200 missed votes in the past two years.
Ms. Hunt did not prevent budget cuts for HIV/AIDS services, and her budget amendment to restore a portion of that was unsuccessful. The lack of effective leadership by Ms. Hunt is clear. And, as reported by the Dallas Voice on December 30, 2009, the $247,000 “did not restore cuts to the agencies previously providing outreach services.” The grant did not go to the agencies affected by the budget cuts—AIDS Interfaith Network, Resource Center Dallas, Urban League of Greater Dallas, and UT Southwestern Medical Center.
If Mr. Webb feels that that raising these issues is mud-slinging, I would point him to the fact that this IS her record. The facts speak for themselves. The voters have a right to know.
The issue here is Ms. Hunt’s record of failed leadership and ineffectiveness. I welcome Mr. Webb to contact our campaign for any clarification of the facts. We are more than happy to engage in a fact-based dialogue on why District 14 deserves change and why that change is Mr. Nowlin.
District 14 Voter – I challenge you to prove that ANYTHING stated in that ad is a lie. Mr. Graves did his research before running that ad. Did you?
Mr. Webb – You’ve addressed everything in the ad EXCEPT Councilwoman Hunt being the deciding vote on a tax increase. What did Councilwoman Hunt have to say about that? Additionally, I could be incorrect on this, but wasn’t Councilwoman Hunt’s budget amendment filed AFTER a public outcry about the funding cuts? Finally, I almost found your remarks about the potholes on Lemmon Ave funny, however since I live in that area and use Lemmon Ave daily, it’s not funny at all. Why is that issue continuing to be ignored?
Well, Nowlin was registered as a Republican party in 2004 on Durham North Carolina voters registration roll. So now in Texas he lists no party affiliation, so I guess that is good.
I live in District 14 in the Oak Lawn area and I am a police officer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I emailed Angela Hunt about a problem within the city that could cause the city another lawsuit. I guess she didn’t care much about me or the City of Dallas because my email went unanswered. You lost my vote. If you want the job you need to work for your voters.
@Craig McCartney: Clearly, Steven Graves is a supporter of Nowlin’s and is campaigning for him. As for the alleged facts, I read the memo where the majority of the council asked for a charter review commission. It didn’t say anything about a pay raise or term limits. She did introduce an unsuccesful budget amendment to restore the lost HIV/AIDS funding so it’s hardly accurate to say that she did nothing. Whether she did it fast enough to suit you is another matter. Only Hunt knows why she was late to council meetings so I’m not sure what you think should have been investigated in regard to that. If I’d said anything about the property tax increase, it would have been that it was likely inevitable. Sorry I forgot to add that. And I’m also sorry that people have potholes, but so do I. Finally, all anyone has to do to get a reporter’s attention at the Dallas Voice is to give the newsroom a call. It’s not an unlisted number. I’m not a reporter. I had no reason to contact Nowlin because I was not writing a news story, nor was he being attacked by anyone. In fact, in my column last week I said that I was sure he was an admirable candidate. I explained in the column why I thought Hunt would be re-elected. Again, I’m not a reporter writing a news story. I’m a columnist expressing my opinions. And by the way you can do the same thing. It’s called a letter to the editor. The editor will even publish your picture if you like. But overall, thanks for your comments. It’s nice to have critics stick their heads out of the closet once in a while.
If we gave you people a state….say, Ohio. Would you all move there and fence yourselves in.
We promise not to bother you. Then you can all whine at each other. and whatever else, pardon me while I puke.
Mr. Nowlin is the only only Openly Gay Republican running so that is why we should all vote for him.
Mr. Nowlin has proved himself a loser now, and he’ll be proved one again on May 14. You ladies sling all the mud that you want in the meantime. It won’t change the outcome.
Sweet baby J. When did we decide that voting for a republican, gay or not, would be good for anyone, gay or not? Can anyone tell me what the republican party has done for the benefit of the LGBT community on a national, state, or local level?
The third “fact” smacks of a monied gay republican (if only so identified by his spots) who acts as if each coin extracted from his pocket in tax is a tooth extracted from his mouth. How can you simultaneously lambaste a tax increase and pretend the slashing of HIV/AIDS relief funding isn’t a direct consequence of taxes being at their lowest in many years? How can we respect the convoluted logic which blasts an attempt to generate the much-needed revenue for social services and at the same time demands a full repaving of the street the ad’s sponsor cruises on most?
James Nowlin ought to praise election jesus that this ad did not come from his campaign. The sponsor of the ad has his right to his delusional reasoning and tired rightist propaganda. I’ll keep my ticket to the left. Ebenezer and his “facts” can wait for mayor jesus to return and eliminate taxes, provide HIV/AIDS funding, fund our schools and social services, end crime, stop pollution, and pave Lemmon Ave with gold. I’m not holding my breath.
And I have to give credit to everyone at the Voice if for nothing else than having thick skin. Every time someone posts a piece some regal folks don’t agree with, they suddenly ‘don’t know the first thing about journalism.’ Everyone’s a critic.
Also, I just noticed the banner ad up top: “The Fight for Equality Can’t Wait. Stand Up Now. Vote Now for James Nowlin.” What a joke. Now do you feel like your issues are being sensationalized for political gain?
Once you check it out, you will find the Log Cabin Republicans have done far more than your might suspect. While James Nowlin might not win this election, he does have a political future ahead of him if he wants. He is to be admired for taking on such a well loved candidate.
Would be nice if the two would have a public debate, or did I miss that?
p.s. the link tied to my name is not mine. Not sure where that came from. I just corrected it. LOL
Oh, no, Jack, I wholeheartedly agree. Martyrdom is powerful. Despite having their faces smashed into glasses at bars, being shut out of party conventions, being verbally and physically assaulted by fellow party members, they still have managed to have a profound effect on the party platform which now only advocates for LGBT parents to lose their children and the re-criminalization of sodomy (but hey, at least they’re not calling for our deaths anymore). They also have managed to meet with GOP politicians, albeit in the closet, who go on to demonize the LGBT community once they get a spot of statewide attention. Oh, no, the dogged determination of the LCR is admirable to withstand such direct threats in order to support the policies which eschew such socialist things as taxes, education, and healthcare for all people, or those which further marginalize oppressed communities such as immigrants.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who bring the crudités to the Tea Party. It’s just that the only gay republicans we’ve seen elected to office are the Mark Foleys and Larry Craigs and other opponents of equality.
Ok, Joshua, I hate to jump back in to this, but I have to say something. First of all, I am a dyed-in-the wool Democrat and have a hard time understanding “gay Republicans”. However, Jack has a point. LCR was very instrumental in the repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, and LCR has been a driving force in (hopefully) getting Prop 8 overturned in California. While the points you’ve made, Joshua, have merit, I just wanted to point out the good things that our gay Republican friends (and yes, I have those) have done for the cause.
I’m sorry, but James Nowlin has taken this too far. One, he is a Republican who supported GW Bush, two, he has wrongfully attacked a member of the council who has supported our community with all of her heart. That is reason enough for me not to support him.
Also, thank you for letting us know who ran that horrible ad. I have my insurance through Steven Graves, I am canceling my insurance and I bet I’m not the only one who will do so. Steven Graves, you should know better! Shame on you! You are losing my business.
What is so horrible about the ad? The facts were not made up by Steven Graves. They were recorded by the city secretary and the others taken from the Dallas Morning News. Nathan, if you knew Steven Graves and what he has done for the gay and lesbian community over the last 15 years, then YOU should be ashamed. I personally know Steven and he has donated to many HIV-related organizations, Youth First Texas and The Human Rights Campaign Fund. He has represented our community much better than Angela Hunt and he is not a politician. I still want someone to tell me what she has done to represent our community. The Cedar Springs Merchants Association takes care of our sidewalks and much of the maintenance that should be done by the City of Dallas. Why are they doing this when we pay taxes and our gay owned and operated merchants also do.
Nathan, while I admire your fierce loyalty to Councilwoman Hunt, I feel that your anger towards Mr. Graves is misdirected. The ad was simply stating FACTS, ones that can be verified with the City Secretary’s Office. Secondly, James Nowlin did not attack Councilwoman Hunt, again he is stating FACTS. How in the world can that be considered an attack? While I will certainly agree that Councilwoman Hunt is indeed a friend to the gay community, the question that begs to be asked is, what exactly has she done for District 14? We still have problems with the homeless harassing people on the strip along with continued crime issues, potholes on Lemmon Ave (the worst) and many other streets in the area. Don’t get angry at Steven Graves for pointing out the obvious, get angry at Councilwoman Hunt for not getting the job done!
Let me get this straight: James “Mr. Effective” Nowlin is going to carry the gay flag, fix the potholes, hold the budget in check, secure full funding for HIV/AIDS organizations, and solve the crime and homeless problems – despite having no experience in office? Right. That fantasy is almost as good as the one that he might win this election – and that he really cares about this district as anything more than a political stepping stone.
I was on the fence with this race, I think Angela has done a good job, but I wanted to support a gay candidate. However, this negative, dirty, disgusting campaign by Nowlin has turned me off of him. I will vote for Angela. And someone mentioned about Steven Graves too, I have insurance through him too, and I lost all respect for him. Just disgusting. Nowlin and Graves should be ashamed of themselves. Oh, and I didn’t know he was a republican, that made me dislike him even more. Yes, I have republican friends too, but it doesn’t mean I have to vote for them.
Mr. Nowlin is an Attorney and is well acquainted with the concept of “plausible deniability”, His last direct insults were taken to task and backfired on him. Hence the need for one of his supporters make those accusations this time around so that he can stand a distance from them.
Lets discuss a few “Facts here”
Fact #1. James Nowlin” is registered as a “Republican In the Nov. 2, 2004 Election in Durham North Carolina under Voter ID # 000030053936. This is a matter of Public Record.
Fact #2 Nowlin received an appointment to the Board of the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, which he accepted and shortly after “Quit” he was asked to return and again accepted and of course, again “Quit”.
Fact #3 Mr. Nowlin was appointed to the Police Review Board by Angela Hunt. after he expressed interest in insuring equal treatment of the gay community by Dallas Police. Yet he failed to pursue 57 GLBT complaints while on the board and further “Failed” to bring any of those complaints to the attention of the City Council as he was required and then he later quit. Again a matter of Public Record
Fact #4 Nowlin requested and received a closed session appointment in John Wiley Prices commissioners court to the Dallas Workforce Commission which he later, you guessed it “Quit”. Public record of course.
Fact #5 Nowlin publicly supported a “Tax Increase” in 2010 which he now claims to oppose.
Fact #6 Nowlin loudly acclaims himself as a successful business owner of Excel Global Partners. which he casually fails to point out only employs himself and his partner as self appointed executives. The entity has no client list and has never hired a single employee. Public record information.
Would anyone like to dispute any of these “Facts” or should we post more of the “Facts”? So much for any expectation of honesty from Nowlin or his supporters.
When I wrote my post this week, I had not seen the full-page ad in the newspaper that Steven Graves had ordered published. From the art published on the blog, I was able to read the “FACTS” as Graves expressed them, but the declaration of who had paid for the ad was unreadable. Today, I went to lunch in Dallas and stopped by the Dallas Voice offices to get a copy of the newspaper. The identity of the customer who paid for the ad was in such small type that even with my bifocals I still had trouble making out Graves’ identity. So, in regard to all of the people who commented that I was irresponsible in my initially attributing the ad to the Nowlin campaign (even though that obviously was and still is the intention of the ads), I would like to advise you that my error was more directly related to failing eyesight than the other more insidious accusation. Uh, by the way, why was that typeset so small? If it were not a legal requirement that whomever paid for the ad had to own up to it, would it have even been there? Just curious.
Ok, I’ve got some issues with all of this…. Mr. Nowlin IS in fact the only openly gay candidate running in 14 though you would never know it by looking at his website. James says HIMSELF that we “need” a candidate on the council for district 14 that is openly gay and can fight for our community every day. HOWEVER, as of a few days ago, when i took screen shots of every nook and cranny of his website he makes NO MENTION of the GLBT community. I MEAN THE WORDS GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDERED ARE NOT ON HIS PAGE ANY WHERE. He doesnt even identify himself as a gay man on there. So much for an OPENLY gay man who is on the recor about everything. He is obviously only on the record and forth coming about his affiliation with the GLBT community in front of GLBT crowds.
NEXT, I’d love to know how many of those votes they accuse her of missing were part of a consent agenda??????? As many of you may be aware, consent agenda items are packaged together so that ONE vote can count for over 70 votes on various issues where a consensus has already been reached…. To pull those out and say she missed 180+ votes is MISLEADING AT BEST AND DISGUSTING AT WORST. Those that are perpetuating these misleading statements should be ashamed of themselves. It is because of the campaign tactics taken during this election by MR. Nowlin and his complete lack of knowledge about the office he seeks to jump into that he WILL LOSE this election. And when this wanna-be career politician runs again next cycle we WILL make sure that the community remembers ALL of the dirty tactics he has chosen to employ.
I’m very glad the voters of District 14 saw through all of the false issues thrown up by the Nowlin campaign and voted for an authentic supporter of our community. Any bets on which office he’ll be running for next?