CHESAPEAKE
The mailer, paid for by Chesapeake Councilman Alan Krasnoff, jabs his competitor in the mayoral race, Councilwoman Rebecca Adams:
"He tried to help," it reads. "She voted no."
The mailer said Adams opposed a vote that could have led to tax relief for more seniors. It goes on to say Adams voted to raise storm water fees and voted against a 10-cent tax rate reduction.
Adams and her supporters say Krasnoff's mailers contain half-truths and out-of-context votes, failing to mention that she supported a tax rate cut and voted to widen the eligibility for the senior tax relief program. They say it is one of the worst examples of negative campaigning in the history of Chesapeake.
"I'm a strong person," Adams said. "But elections in Chesapeake have had a certain decorum in the past. It's just my hope that this will not be a benchmark pattern in the future. I think we're above that in Chesapeake."
Krasnoff insisted Tuesday that his mailers were not negative.
"We're putting the record before the voters," Krasnoff said. "That's all we're doing."
The mailers began arriving at residents' homes over the past few weeks. With the May 6 election nearing, Adams' supporters say the mailers are part of a strategy that does not give her much time to respond.
Krasnoff said direct mailing is the best way to reach thousands of voters in Chesapeake.
He said he is not doing television ads. I n April alone, Krasnoff's campaign has paid about $18,870 to Direct Mail of Hampton Roads, a company that did more than $130,000 worth of campaign business with state Republican candidates from 2004 to 2007, according to Chesapeake and Virginia Public Access Project campaign records.
Adams' total spending for April checked in at more than $12,500. Krasnoff's April total topped $24,750.
Krasnoff would not say whether more mailers will arrive in the final days of the campaign. "I really don't want to discuss campaign strategy," he said.
Adams, who lost by 143 votes to Mayor Dalton Edge four years ago, said she is not worried that Krasnoff has out spent her. In 2004, Edge raised more than $100,000 in campaign cash. Adams didn't come close.
"My candidacies have always had smaller spending than the people I was running against," she said. "So this is nothing new to me."
The content of the mailers, though, has concerned Adams and her supporters.
Krasnoff's mailers say he has a better record when it comes to lowering taxes. "It always boils down to two things. Dollars and cents," reads one of the mailers.
In one mailer, Krasnoff say s Adams in January was against waiting a week to decide whether to increase the maximum net worth to $350,000 for seniors allowed to apply for a real estate tax relief program.
The mailer does not mention that Adams voted along with Krasnoff and six other council members in October to raise the maximum net worth to $350,000.
Krasnoff said Tuesday that all of the votes are footnoted and were taken from meeting minutes. His point was that seniors "had to wait an entire year" before the cap was raised.
Several pieces of Krasnoff's campaign literature say Adams voted last year against reducing the real estate tax rate by 10 cents. What they do not say is that Adams voted, along with a majority of the council, to cut the rate by 5 cents.
Krasnoff insisted his literature reflected her vote.
"Those are not half-truths," he said. "She can defend her record. Those are actual votes."
In all of these cases, Adams said, Krasnoff is telling only part of the story. She plans to run an open letter in the newspaper responding to points raised in his mailers.
The mailers, though, have already flustered Adams' supporters.
"This is slick stuff; this is very slick stuff," said Sheldon Kelly, who plans to work the polls for Adams. "This is the lowest thing I've ever seen in Chesapeake."
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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dillon rule
The Dillon Rule restrains far more than just the taxing abilities of local gov'ts. Don Tabor is one of those "big government advocates" when he favors the Dillon Rule.
Saewitz uses the word "vitriol" to describe mailers....
which reveals his hand as to his bias support of the "liberal end" of politics. Read on. "The mailer said Adams opposed a vote that could have led to tax relief for more seniors. It goes on to say Adams voted to raise storm water fees and voted against a 10-cent tax rate reduction." TRUE! Seniors: the vote In Jan. reflects her mind set at that point in time, regardless of her later vote in Oct. This negatively impacted seniors! Tax cut: A 5 cent cut as real estate assessments rise by double digits is NOT a cut, just a lower rate! A 10 cent cut would have better offset the rising assessments. Adams employs the guise as an independent, yet she nearly always aligns her votes with the Democrats. Her endorsements come from organizations with ties to the AFL-CIO and NAACP, and the Chesapeake Democratic Committee, to name 3. I guess we know where Saewitz stands too! Kelly, how is the truth "the lowest thing?"
Visit the record books at city hall
Adams voted yes to smiling earth energy, the virginian pilot did a story a week before the vote, Clifford Cowles served 4 years in federal prison for planning to distribute large quantities of ecstasy. I have the application to the planning commission, his sgnature is there 4 times as owner. FACT. Last year a tax rate of 89 cents provided 8 million additional dollars to the general fund, after all departments were fully funded. FACT. Adams voted yes to the illegal & unconstitutional HRTA. FACT. She has to stand by her voting record. No one's making these things up. I would never do that. I like Mrs. Adams as a person, however her voting record is very questionable. My choice of words are correct, you can put all the spin on it you want to, the public records do not lie.
Clarification
First of all, Mr. Arrington, she did not vote for the convicted felon and you added a bad choice of words. Last time I watched the real estate tax issues at City Council and you know I was there, they voted to lower the tax rate even though the real estate assessments increased. You also know that they do not have control over the real estate assessments. Look at us know, the economy is steadily going downhill, prices are sky rocketing, businesses are closing their doors, the state puts more mandates on schools without giving more funding for these mandates. So, with the economy is in such poor shape, do you think that the, I believe it was .89 cents or something like that, would sustain our local government that you support? Do you think that real estate tax would sustain an increase in pay for our public safety? Pay for road improvements? New equipment that is mandated by the federal government without them increasing any funding to our city? The HRT? Sure it was illegal and irresponsible for our state delegates to pass the buck because they don't have the testical fortitude to take on the task themselves.
Dillon's Rule is a limit on gub'mint
Dillon's Rule serves to restrain the greed of local governments, much like Article I section 8 of the US Constitution did until we started ignoring it.
Think of it this way, imagine just how much more you would pay in taxes and how many more local traffic, hunting and gun laws there would be were it not for Dillon's Rule restraining localities.
Which is not the point of this discussion. If all city councilmen exercised the restraint Krasnoff does, we wouldn't need Dillon's Rule to protect us, but heaven help us if we had a council full of big government advocates like Adams and did not have that protection.
KRASNOFF OUR MAYOR OUR VOICE
People have to stand on their voting record. Adams voted yes for the convicted drug dealer owned biodiesel plant. Adams voted yes to the illegal & unconstitutional HRTA. Adams has consistenly voted yes to raise our real estate taxes. Pablo, Alan is not resorting to any dirty tactics, he's just citing the truth, it's public record. Just face the fact that, Adams has made some questionable yes votes, that are now coming back to haunt her. Like I said before, anyone can hit the green light and vote like everyone else, but it takes true leadership to be the only two council members to hit the red light and truly represent the will of the people. KRASNOFF IS TRUE LEADERSHIP!!!
limited government?
It's funny to watch Don Tabor talk of limited government when he favors the Dillon Rule which is a prime example of nanny state big gub'mint.
It is true: Tax RATE higher than lowered rate is a tax increase.
We taxpayers grow so tired of city council and BOS politicans pretending they "cut the tax rate" when in reality they really voted to raise the "lowered tax rate" set by state code. The code automatically lowers the tax rate to offset increases in the assessed value of our homes. When the ave. assessments in a city go up, the tax rate automatically goes down to make the amount of taxes we pay equal to the same taxes we paid as the year before. Real Estate taxes = assessment times tax rate. If anyone votes to raise the automatically "lowered tax rate" they are voting for a tax increase - even if the tax rate they vote for is lower than the tax rate from the previous year - but it is higher than the "lowered tax rate" the state code sets to offset increased assessments.
Thr truth hurts, it seems
Let's not forget that Adams voted FOR approval of the unconstitutional HRTA project, an enormous tax increase on Chesapeake citizens, for the primary benefit of special interests using the Port of Virginia.
Only Krasnoff, DeTriquet and Mayor Edge voted, on principle, to stay out of the HRTA, all of the rest of the incumbents, including Adams, spoke at length about how bad the HRTA plan was, and then voted for adopting it anyway!
The record is what it is, and candidates have to live with their votes taken as a whole. Krasnoff's record is consistently for limited government and low taxes, Adams has been one of continuous growth of government at an ever increasing cost to taxpayers.
I guess she hopes we didn't notice or have short memories.
Bully on the Campaign Trail!
You know, this is the typical Krasnoff!! I know the Chesapeake voters are much more intelligent than that -- to fall prey to these kind of tactics! Alan counted on Adams not responding to his tactics or better yet, lowering herself to that level. What was not put in this article is why she did not vote to continue the tax relief. Just ask her because she is a person with integrity and honor. That's more than I can say about Alan.
"To know them, you've got to go to them!" as I always say. You can look at all the records and see what you see but you can't see what is behind what you see. Why? Because everything is not as it appears to be! But, I will support Adams come voting time and support her for who she is -- a person with integrity and honor. A person that will represent Chesapeake with dignity, with intelligence and common sense!!