Camp gives one last blast before today’s municipal election
Councilman Jon Camp held a press conference yesterday to decry the negative campaigning state Democrats have waged in an effort to unseat the incumbent Republican, who has held his seat for a dozen years.
Councilman Jon Camp
Here’s the press release:
Today, I want to speak to you about a very important issue facing Lincoln politics, the complete degradation of Lincoln’s political elections—as exemplified by the 3 attack pieces mailed to my constituents in the last few days.
Before I start, I want to assure you that if there is reason to criticize my true record, I consider that a “clean hit” and would not be addressing you today. Officeholders need to be held accountable for the actions taken as elected officials and I am fine with that.
However, what I am going to discuss with you today is the total opposite of legitimate criticism. It is the manufacturing of distortions and outright lies at the last minute in an election cycle, to scare voters away from a candidate. It is a tactic that is embraced by those who have little regard for the intelligence of the voter and it is a tactic birthed by the greed and self interest of those who paid for it.
Within the last three days, the Nebraska Democrat Party created and mailed three attack pieces to my City Council district, knowing full well that they were filled with lies. The pieces were so blatantly distorted, that the Lincoln Journal Star gave them a clear rebuke in its April 29th editorial.
Unfortunately for the citizens of Lincoln, certain leaders in the Nebraska Democrat Party lack integrity. In these three instances, the Nebraska Democrat Party has become an agent for a special interest group that wants to attack me. This is an insult to most Democrats who believe in conducting campaigns with honesty and integrity.
I have many Democratic friends who support my candidacy and I have high regard for many of the public servants who are part of the Democratic Party. I know that most Democrats do not approve of this type of behavior. The time has come for these fine Democrats to contact the Nebraska Democrat Party and remind them that this is Lincoln, Nebraska—not Chicago—and demand that Nebraska integrity be observed during political campaigns. The citizens of Lincoln deserve better.
In addition to this, I want to share the second reason these mailings are so troubling. I have reason to believe that the entire effort was paid for by the Lincoln Firefighters Union, which wrote a check for $30,000 to the Nebraska Democrat Party in March 2011 to pay for these last minute smear mailings. I have been assured by Mayor Beutler’s campaign that none of the $14,000 his campaign contributed to the Nebraska Democrat Party went to this type of campaigning.
The question needs to be asked: Why did the leaders of the Lincoln Firefighters Union, whose members want to be viewed as life saving heroes, throw integrity out the window and fabricate lies against a sitting City Council Member and try to buy an election with their huge contribution?
There can be only one reason, in the past, I have told them “NO”. I have refused to be bullied, manipulated and pushed into labor contracts that are incredibly expensive. I have stood strong for the taxpayers of Lincoln, while making certain that our citizens were safe.
In my opinion, the leaders of the Lincoln Firefighters’ Union want weak public servants that they can manipulate. They want puppets that they can control so they will give them more today, more tomorrow and more in years to come, regardless of the cost to the citizens of Lincoln. The Lincoln Firefighters’ Union wants a blank check from taxpayers and when you stand against their excessive wants, they resort to distasteful campaign tactics.
In my twelve years of service on the Lincoln City Council, when it was right, I have told them “NO”. I hope the voters of Lincoln tell them “No” on Election Day, May 3rd, and that the citizens of Lincoln will not be manipulated by these underhanded tactics.
With regard to the three mailings, I’d like to conclude with this statement:
1. I have one of the best attendance records on the Council;
2. I have never put my personal interests above that of the citizens of Lincoln;
3. I am deeply concerned about public safety; and
4. I have worked tirelessly to make sure that proper research and intelligence is gathered before our council acts on all matters of public concern.
You can count on Jon Camp being a “watch dog” for the citizens and taxpayers of Lincoln–I will never be a “lap dog” for ANY special interest group, especially those who want a blank check from the taxpayers.
Winterized 