Friday, October 15, 2010

Valpo Republican Mailer Footnote Source Is a Quote From Their Own Co-chair

Clearly, Commissioner Harper has "opposed putting an income tax on the people of Porter County" so the Valparaiso Republicans mailer stating that Harper has "remained silent" on the issue of income taxes is an obvious attempt to dupe the residents of Porter County.

The Valparaiso Republicans claim that Commissioner Harper "failed us" citing the Northwest Indiana Times October 8, 2010 newspaper in an attempt to make their claim that "Harper stood by and watched as Porter County increased the income tax on hardworking families. He actually skipped the meeting when the vote was taken" look authentic in a mailer sent to Porter County Residents this week.

The problem with the source is that they are referring to a QUOTE OF THE VALPARAISO REPUBLICAN PARTY CO-CHAIR in a NWI Times article that beings to question the validity of the Valparaiso Republican Party's own failed "peapod" mailer!

In the October 8, 2010 NWI Times article "GOP, Harper debating accuracy of campaign ad" the Valparaiso Republican co-chair, Michael Simpson, FALSELY claims that "Harper also remained silent in May 2005 when the County Council doubled the county income tax, in part, to cover the county's $3.5 million annual dues as a member of the RDA"

Yet, In the April 26, 2005 meeting minutes for the Porter County Council, Commissioner Harper clearly states "I didn’t vote for the CEDIT tax, and in fact, I opposed putting an income tax on the people of Porter County, and I was very vocal about that. And further, I am vocal about putting any further income taxes on the people of Porter County." In addition, Harper was present at the May 2005 commissioners and county council meetings so I am not sure exactly what meeting
Harper missed when "the vote was taken."

It is disheartening that the Valparaiso Republican Party is mailing out misinformation about Commissioner Bob Harper and they must be held accountable.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Two Peas in a Pod??? A far fetched mailer from the Valparaiso Republican Party

The Valparaiso Republican Party has run out of ways to inflate the resume of Nancy Adams so they have resorted to spreading misinformation about Commissioner Bob Harper.

A recent mailer sent out by the Valparaiso Republicans falsely claims that "Higher Taxes and Bigger Government are the Bob Harper Way" and that "Barack Obama and Bob Harper are two peas in a pod."

Commissioner Bob Harper has a long track record of supporting property tax CAPS. Way back in 2006, Commissioner Harper was cited in the NWI Times as supporting property tax caps to the point of sending "out 1,800 letters asking members of the Association of Indiana Counties to rethink the association's anti-tax cap action stance."

In addition, Harper has clearly proven he is against "Bigger Government" by not supporting the Regional District Authority (RDA) or the Regional Transit District (RTD).

The Valparaiso Republicans also claim that Bob Harper "supports President Obama's government takeover of healthcare" and cited the October 23, 2009 Chesterton Tribune as their source for this claim. The problem is that the article Valparaiso Republican Party is referring to NEVER MENTIONS BOB HARPER!

Anyways, anyone that knows the difference between local and federal politics is aware that Bob Harper cannot vote in the Senate or the House so the  health insurance reform bill is not an issue in the Porter County Commissioner's race. 

Maybe the Valparaiso Republicans are hoping that the residents of Porter County haven't read any local newspapers in the last several years so they won't be able to point out the blatant errors in the mailer...



Monday, October 4, 2010

3rd Time is NOT the charm: Adams mailer lacks substance

Has Adams really "led the fight for real property tax reform"?

Apparently, the Valparaiso Republicans didn't see that the Committee to elect Nancy Adams omitted the claim that Adams "led the fight for real property tax reform" from their second mailer, since the Valparaiso Republicans put this claim in a mailer they sent out on behalf of Nancy Adams for Porter County Commissioner which is the third Adams mailer I have received in the past month.


The Valparaiso Republican mailer reads, "When Porter County residents were hit with massive property tax increases, Nancy Adams took action, forming a group of 600 concerned citizens that led the fight for real property tax reform." The mailer fails to mention that this group LOST their misguided fight with the DLGF! In addition, Nancy did not form the group, her HUSBAND did. It seems like Adams didn't lead any fight but, instead, was involved in a lost battle.

Does Adams have the "experience" Porter County needs?

If Adams uses the phrase "led the fight" so loosely, I am led to wonder if she uses the term "experience" in the same way. The Valparaiso Republican mailer claims that Nancy has "proven business expertise." I would like to see her resume since the controller of the business she and her husband owns stole from Strongbow Inn for quite some time before they even noticed in 2009. Prior to the business her in-laws sold to her husband, Russ Adams, and herself in the past couple of decades, what is her "experience"? I prefer facts and numbers instead of terms and phrases used loosely.

 
ANOTHER MAILER ERROR


In addition to misleading statements in the mailer, a word is omitted from the last sentence of the second paragraph. Do you know where the word "an" goes in the following sentence?
Nancy supports a permanent cap on property taxes to ensure homeowners don't lose their home to unfair taxing system.
I may not have perfect spelling or grammar but I am not claiming I have enough "experience" to run the county. This is the second error in an Adams mailer so far. Minor errors in paperwork can lead to big problems for Porter County. (Just ask our currently elected auditor!)

Porter County residents should elect a Commissioner with PROVEN experience and leadership. Nancy Adams is not that person.