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Wow. This is perhaps the new low. The Alpena County Republican Party (ACRP) just conducted the biggest smear campaign imaginable. Instead of talking about the qualifications and vision of the four school board candidates they are endorsing and funding, they decided instead to spend thousands on a flyer that can only be described as hate-filled mudslinging.
As a reminder to all, school board seats are nonpartisan and yet the ACRP not only endorsed four candidates, they also funded the signage you see for them around the county. Then they doubled-down by funding a 11×6" flyer that was mailed to thousands of Alpena County residents. The flyer did not contain a single word or sentence in support of their own candidates, who are pictured on the back, just a character assassination of the four candidates they are not endorsing or financially supporting: Evan Carlson, Sarah Fritz, Claire Kipfmiller and Kayla Ratz.
This should raise eyebrows and questions. It's worrisome when a political party will spend thousands to disparage fellow citizens who are running for a nonpartisan position. It's also disappointing that the four candidates the ACRP are endorsing apparently agreed to participate in the vilification and muckraking of other candidates who are also fellow community members.
The Alpena County Republican Party invested thousands of dollars in signage endorsing their candidates. Then they spent thousands in mailable flyers disparaging the candidates they aren't supporting. We should all be wondering where all this cash is coming from. Does the ACRP have a benefactor who is willing to spend any amount of money to capture school board seats, and if so, to what end?
The ACRP was attempting to malign Evan, Sarah, Claire and Kayla. They only succeeded in making themselves, and the four candidates they endorse, look very, very small.
Ann Skiba
Alpena