The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Workers for mayoral candidate Will Sessoms passed out fliers Tuesday aimed at black voters that said, "Obama for President, Sessoms for Virginia Beach Mayor." Yet Sessoms said he planned to vote for John McCain and has given money to his campaign.
By 3 p.m., Sessoms' campaign stopped distributing the fliers.
The flier contained a photo of Sessoms and Obama smiling and next to each other. It listed Sessoms' goals, including increasing minority contractors, better mass transit and roads and more affordable housing. Sessoms said he didn't know about it, though some of his supporters did. The candidate said the list of his goals and issues on the flier was representative of his positions.
"Is there anything about it that's not the truth?" said Bruce Williams, a consultant for the Sessoms campaign. "Some people think there should be national change and local change."
A private donor produced them, he said.
"It showed up and we thought it was a good one," he said.
The fliers didn't contain the required disclaimer saying who had authorized the material.
The Sessoms campaign criticized Mayor Meyera Oberndorf for endorsing Obama and allowing partisanship to creep into nonpartisan local elections.
"If it's true, it's one of the most cynical things I've seen," Kenny Golden, chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Party, said Tuesday about the flier. "If he lets this piece go forward, then he is not a Republican for sure."
Dave Iwans, Sessoms' campaign spokesman, said he had contacted precinct captains and told them not to distribute the fliers and that they weren't sanctioned by the campaign.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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nothing will happen
They forgot to tell you Bruce Williams was put on Governor Kaines Board of Contractors 10/08 and he is the economic director for the VB NAACP…The majority of his business comes from the New convention Center HRT ect ect…..REDEVELOPMENT to funnel tax dollors to their buddies….He had huge incentive to get Sessoms elected…Whos brother Whit wants to develop part of the oceanfront while using Sessoms bank and taxpayer dollars.After they have the police run all the black clubs and people out of Vb the can buy it and redevelop it with the wall-mart theory and all the local owned businesses go bye-bye....POGO
“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” - James Madison, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 16, 1788
SESSOMS lacks INTEGRITY
The police arrested someone at the polls outraged by the lies letting people know truth...Did he hurt anyone like Sessoms did...He should be arrested...Oh wait he's Mayor... He gets the Black votes and then throws the black consultant under the bus....If I didn't grow up and have my family here I would move in a sec I'm so disgusted by VB politics and tactics....
Outrageous
That is completely outrageous and deceitful.
If this isn't fraud, then what the hell is?
This should be brought up in court. Not only is it not properly labeled, it's flat out lying to voters.
Shame!
Everyone was told not to trust Will Sessoms. Now we see first hand. His paid people handing out Obama fliers that make it look like Obama and Will support each other. Shame... on Will Sessoms and all those he lied to. Shame on those in his camp who let this happen. Shame !!!! Can we take this to court and get a re-vote? I can't tell you how many people at the poles said. "Who is Will Sessoms, well if he is Obama's man then he is my man."
There was not paid for an authorized line because it would have had to say... Paid for by Developers, Land Owners, and those who will take tax money to use it for their own pockets.
nothing new, now or ever.
cool...I see the "CHANGE" has already begun..........!!!!!
re: Louisas
Look up Section 5 of The Voting Rights Act of 1965. If Sessoms wins, it might even be grounds to get a judge to order a revote.
Voter Fraud by any other name is still Voter Fraud
Why isn't it voter fraud for workers hired by a Sessoms’ paid Black consultant Bruce Williams, to falsely declare Senator Obama supports Sessoms while passing out an unauthorized doctored flyer indicating Obama and Sessoms are friends? It also appears hardly ethical for this fraud to be perpetuated only on the African American voters in poll sites in black neighborhoods. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than when a member of any group feels it is okay to "lie" to their family and friends who trust them, because they believe the end justifies the means. Given the number of people who died to insure African Americans and women have the right to vote, I find it hard to forgive anyone who cheapens that sacrifice by making anyone's vote mean less than an honest freedom of choice. A choice made on disinformation from one of your own is a tragedy. A race won this way is a travesty.
Illegal
Virginia law requires that whomever authorized the flier be printed on it.
Reid,
Once again, you ignore the law in pursuit of your extremist agenda. Anyone can run for City Council that gets 125 valid signatures from registered voters. It's not a case of the RPVB being able to "let" someone run.
There may be something to Meyera being behind this...
there was a gentleman at my polling place who i assume was with the meyera campaign who was literally... i kid you not... flailing his arms with these fliers in his hands screaming about how its content "Wasn't True, It Ain't True...!!!!"
Electioneering what????
The cops had to actually take him away. it was a scene and a half....
I think Mr. Williams should get a good lawyer
This could get VERY ugly...Sessoms wins and Meyera calls foul; Sessoms loses and he goes after his "consultant."