An aldermanic candidate’s former backer complained he “misled” voters in a brochure. The candidate called the brochure accurate. Who’s right? We consulted the Independent Truth-O-Meter.
The case involves a photograph and quotation in an eight-page brochure distributed by West Rock/West Hills Alderman Darnell Goldson, who’s running for a second term.
The brochure (click here to read it) for is chock full of facts about the issues Goldson has championed in his one term in office, from defeating a proposed stormwater tax and charter revision to keeping taxes low and reexamining a downtown street sale to Yale. He includes dozens of links to news stories to buttress his claims. All in all, it’s probably the most detailed, in-depth and citation-buttressed piece of campaign “literature” so far this season.
Except, perhaps, for the top of page 5. That’s what caught Honda Smith’s attention.
Smith is the Democratic Party co-chair of Ward 30, Goldson’s ward. She was a crucial supporter two years ago when Goldson ran against the Democratic Party establishment and won. City Hall dispatched top officials to take an official day off and swarm into the usually neglected neighborhood to try to defeat him.
This year Smith has changed sides. She is backing Goldson’s opponent, Carlton Staggers.
You wouldn’t know that from page 5 of Goldson’s brochure (pictured). Titled “What Others Are Saying,” it features a photo of Smith with Goldson and a quotation from an Independent story Independent story praising him: ““Alderman Goldson is doing a fine job by answering complaints immedi- ately from residents, I want him to continue to work for this ward and not allow one resident to stop him for their own personal reasons.”
Smith demanded that stop “using my picture and name on his campaign materials in support of his election efforts against my wishes. He has known for some time that I am not supporting his reelection and am a big booster of Carlton Staggers.” She called the use of her quotation and picture “misleading” and a “dirty tactic.”
Goldson refused to pull the page.
“If Honda didn’t mean what she said, she shouldn’t have said it,” he said. “I didn’t take her quote out of context. I didn’t misquote her. It didn’t say, ‘Endorsements.’ It says, ‘What others are saying about Darnell.’ It’s what she says about me. If she’s now changing her mind and becoming one of those people who are trying to stop me, I don’t know how to respond to that. I’m really sorry she feels that the comment she made is no longer appropriate. But she did make it.”
After digesting the documents and considering the two sides’ arguments, the NHI Truth-O-Meter (pictured at left) weighed in with a verdict: not outright “hokum,” but “dubious.”
Goldson is correct that he didn’t misquote Smith. But although the page doesn’t say “endorsements,” it was presented as one. And that is how pages of approving comments and photos of people in campaign flyers are commonly understood by the public. In the end, the page is not a lie — and the brochure overall is factual and straightforward — but the Smith component does mislead.
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Nice brochure, but Darnell left out his work on behalf of Linda McMahon!
Anyway, will someone please ask Mr. Goldson if he'll again be supporting Linda the Republican in 2012?