ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 15, 1996 TAG: 9605150039
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN MOORE
I WOULD like to thank all of those Salem citizens who voted for me, and all who considered me, even though they decided to vote for someone else on May 7.
I would also like to clarify two points, both of which were raised in the yellow ``FACTS'' sheet that was distributed with The Roanoke Times on May 6. It was authorized and paid for by Howard Packett and Alex Brown.
I have never belonged to any political-action committee. However, there would certainly be nothing wrong with belonging to a PAC, and I believe you will find that Packett gratefully accepted considerable money from PACs when he ran unsuccessfully against Morgan Griffith for the House of Delegates.
I have never been anti-women, and I have never been associated with anyone who is. The yellow ``FACTS'' sheet asked a question that was based on the Salem Taxpayers Association's ``Beacon.'' That question was: ``Why were women excluded from the STA Newsletter [Beacon] mailing?''
The answer is: They were not. While I had nothing to do with the publication or distribution of the Salem Taxpayers Association's newsletter, it was mailed to a mailing list developed from a Salem phone book. The newsletter was simply addressed to the name in the phone book - be it a man's name, a woman's name or both. Both Packett and Brown knew this, but they chose to print and distribute the yellow ``FACTS'' sheet regardless.
On May 6, I received several phone calls from women friends saying that they had been contacted by women supporters of Packett and/or Brown who told them that I was a member of a PAC and that I was ``anti-women.'' One woman said to me: ``Mr. Moore, I think this has cost you the election.''
I called Packett and asked him why he had permitted the yellow ``FACTS'' sheet to be printed when he knew it contained false and misleading statements, when he knew follow-up phone calls would state that I was a party to those things, and when he knew that I would have no chance to respond.
He brushed aside those questions by saying that he had been under pressure to respond to the Salem Taxpayers Association's newsletter and had needed to act quickly.
The election is over, and no one will ever know the exact impact of the Packett/Brown ``FACTS'' sheet and the corresponding telephone campaign to discredit me. However, I have one thought to share:
In the future, if you receive something of a controversial nature immediately before an election, the intention is probably to discredit someone without giving them a chance to respond.
My congratulations to Harry Haskins, a fine, honorable and honest gentleman who will serve Salem extremely well.
John Moore, former chairman of the Salem School Board, was a 1996 candidate for Salem City Council.
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