Statement by Ken Nelson
The Democrats’ ad targeting me in Saturday’s Journal Inquirer is an outright lie. I demand a retraction. This is reprehensible, despicable and shows there is no end to the depths to which Enfield’s Democrats will sink to hoodwink the public.
Not only did the ad falsely portray my position, it quotes me as making the statement at a non-existent town council meeting. I have steadfastly maintained that not only should there be a tax freeze for senior citizens, but for the entire town.
It is obviously a sad, pathetic, desperate attempt to use scare tactics to get votes, since they have failed so miserably in performance. The Democrats claim they care about our seniors but at the same time, they lie to their faces.
Ken Nelson
Republican Councilman-at-Large
JI STORY
GOP councilman targeted by Dems in campaign ad lashes out
By:Anne Pallivathuckal
Journal Inquirer
11/05/2007
ENFIELD - With Election Day less than 24 hours away, a controversy has erupted over an advertisement that the Democratic Town Committee ran on Saturday in the Journal Inquirer quoting Republican Councilman-at-large Kenneth Nelson Jr. on tax relief for the elderly.
Nelson said today that his comments that were quoted in the advertisement were taken out of context and he has demanded that the Democrats retract the advertisement.
In the advertisement, the Democrats claim they support the elderly and question if the Republicans have forgotten them.
The advertisement quotes Nelson at a Town Council meeting May 9 on tax relief for the elderly as saying, "Most of their houses are mortgage free .... They can pay their own way."
The council did meet for budget deliberations on May 9, but there are no official minutes of the meeting.
"They took bits and pieces," Nelson said of the statement attributed to him.
He added that what he actually said was that there should be tax relief for everybody in town since the younger generation would never be able to pay off their houses in today's economy.
Nelson said he had also asked, "How are you going to pay
for it without impacting the younger generation even more?" But that was not included in the quote, he said.
"I didn't say forget the seniors," Nelson said, adding that his position is that there should be tax relief for everyone.
"If we do a tax freeze for everybody, don't the seniors get a tax freeze also?" he said.
In a statement, Nelson said the Democrats' advertisement was "obviously a sad, pathetic, desperate attempt to use scare tactics to get votes, since they have failed so miserably in performance."
He added today, "The whole thing is ridiculous."
In an e-mail sent by Democratic Town Chairwoman Karen Weseliza to party members, which was obtained by the Journal Inquirer, Weseliza calls the ad targeting Nelson "a mistake."
"I'm all for a fair debate of the issues, however, I really have little interest in pointing fingers and humiliating one person," Weseliza wrote in the e-mail.
"In general, I do not support negative advertising. It doesn't need to be that way in a municipal election,"
Weseliza said today, adding that the Democrats won't retract the ad. "It is what it is."
Democratic Deputy Mayor Kenneth Hilinski disputes Nelson's claim that he was taken out of context.
"It is Ken Nelson's quote," Hilinski said, adding that it was obtained during campaign research from a tape recording of the meeting that is available at Town Hall.
Hilinski asserted that the Republicans had placed negative advertisements about the Democrats that were untrue in other publications.
5 comments:
Not a great response by the Democrats. The Democratic Town Chariman admits it was a mistake but then follows up with "It is what it is" and can't even admit to a public retraction. Makes me wonder what else has been a "mistake" during the Democratic majorities ruling in Enfield.
Re: "GOP councilman targeted by Dems in campaign ad lashes out"
I think that the democratic attack on Ken Nelson shows why the democrats need to go.
I have to say that it is really disappointing to see the democrats stoop to this level. I thought I could expect better than scurrilous attack ads like this one.
I realized during the 4th of July that the singular difference between Enfield politics and DC politics is that your neighbors are the opposition. I though this fact would elevate the tone of political discussion. In my naïveté, I believed that this might deter the childishness I saw in Washington. By carpet-bombing your neighbor’s lawn, you put your own at risk of fire.
This is not the first time that we have seen attacks of this sort during this election cycle. A few weeks ago, the mayor tried to impugn the character of Mary Ann Turner by calling for her to be illegally investigated by the Town Attorney. Thankfully, Mr. Bromson followed the law and rebuffed Mr. Tallarita’s request for an investigation. This so-called investigation was to be into a phone call that she made to the contractor for the Fermi fields, in which she warned him to be careful doing business with the Town of Enfield. Supposedly, Mr. Tallarita’s anger was prompted by the possibility that the fields might not be completed in time for Thanksgiving, potentially depriving him of what he hoped to be the legacy of his administration. These are the politics of ego. And although the game will go on, Tallarita’s misconduct and abuse of power have not left Enfield a better place
And so, what I say, is “Where are the democrats?” You notice that Scott Kaupin rose to defend Messrs. Grady and Arnone against being called “morons”, a mild insult by the standards of the blogosphere.
So I ask again, “Where are the democrats and where have they been?”
Where were they when Ken Nelson was attacked with false advertising? Defending the ad in the newspaper.
Where were they when an anonymous poster circulated unsubstantiated fallacious accusations against Greg Stokes on the Enfield Local Politics blog? Nowhere to be found.
Where were they when anonymous users attacked Mary Ann Turner in the comboxes of the blogs? Invisible.
Where were they when Mayor Tallarita attempted to smear Mary Ann Turner’s reputation? Giving a song and dance on how they were being sabotaged by the mayor instead of apologizing to Mrs. Turner and the public.
Then they have the gall to suggest that the republicans are not bipartisan enough. How can you be bipartisan with people who make a sport of taking shots below the belt? By definition, bipartisanship requires a certain amount of trust. How can you trust a man who curses you with the same hand he lifts in blessing?
What we have seen from the democrats is not cordial competition. Instead, when challenged in a competitive race we see the scorched earth tactics I saw too often in Washington. Remember, if you carpet-bomb your neighbor’s lawn, yours might also catch fire. Even if the fire has not yet spread, the neighborhood has become tired of the fires.
It is time for a change. Too many of us in Enfield are sick of the wars, infighting, and divisiveness brought to us by the democrats. There are too many opportunities and challenges ahead to be distracted by the politics of egos and personalities.
James Bailey Brislin
Helinski Placed the ad about Nelson (the ex mayor) told him to do it so he did it. He always does what Pat tells him to do. We all know he is not a free thinker. Hilinski made the dems look like we play dirty politics. This was Pats last ditch effort to try and drive a wedge between the groups he is grasping at straws. Cocco Puffs may have LOST his POWER. What will his ego do now...Boo Hoo
> Hilinski asserted that the
Hilinski also said that BOE candidate Grady should excuse himself as a BOE candidate, but I see the Dems are still running their guy w/the restraining order. Nice pick.
So Ken Nelson, pay no attention to the sourpuss Democrats. They're desperate, and clearly feel you're
a force (or why else would they do, what they did to you?)
Ya got my vote Ken And I'm sure you'll have a lot more by 8:00 pm
this evening. Hopefully the Democrats are voted out, and the Republican's regain control in Enfield.
> Mr. Tallarita’s anger was prompted by the possibility that the fields might not be completed in time for Thanksgiving, potentially depriving him of what he hoped to be the legacy of his administration.
His legacy?
Let me get this straight, Mayor Cocoa Puff wants his political legacy to be that of the Fermi
"Love Canal" athletic complex, that will leave Enfield taxpayers deeper in debt (cuz let's face it, the State isn't gonna give Enfield $3.3 million for their contaminated
soil bludder. Especially when Enfield purchased more contamindated soil to "cap" the clean-up efforts).
Mayor Cocoa needs to just go away, quietly. Before he embarasses himself and his family anymore.
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