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Walter Bailey Portrait to be Unveiled at NCRM

On Tuesday, one of the icons of both Shelby County government and civil rights history will be with be honored with a portrait-unveiling ceremony at the National Civil Rights Museum. Hosts for the occasion, which will take place at 1:30 p.m., will be Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Shelby County Commission chair Mickell M. Lowery.

The portrait of Bailey  to be unveiled was painted by Memphis native Carl Hess, an artist whose other subjects include President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and a series commissioned by Tyler Perry for his sound stages in Atlanta.

Mayor Harris had this to say about Bailey:  “Icon, innovator, and trailblazer are some of the words that describe Walter L. Bailey, Jr. Commissioner Bailey is the epitome of excellence and has set a path for how leaders in this county should fight for justice and equality for all. I am thrilled to honor someone who I consider to be a mentor, political leader, and, more importantly, a social justice pioneer of our time.”

Chairman Lowery said: “I am appreciative of the opportunity to honor a legend and advocate for social justice. Walter L. Bailey, Jr.’s work in Shelby County is paramount and is something that should be recognized. Mr. Bailey has set a foundation for many Shelby County Commissioners, such as myself, and I look forward to honoring him and his legacy.” 

The press release announcing the portrait ceremony summarized Bailey’s career this way: “Walter L. Bailey, Jr. was born on August 21st, 1940. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School, Walter Bailey attended Southern University where he participated in a variety of civil rights activities organized by his brother, the late Judge D’Army Bailey. Always striving for excellence, he received his juris doctor from Southern University Law Center before starting the Walter Bailey Law Firm.

“In the courtroom, Walter Bailey earned national recognition after taking on several high-profile legal battles including efforts to desegregate Memphis schools. He also represented Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the sanitation workers’ strike of 1968. Walter Bailey’s most famous legal success, a case which reached the Supreme Court, established that law enforcement could not use deadly force when a suspect is fleeing unless his or her life is threatened. This landmark decision remains a standard for law enforcement officers today.

“Walter Bailey’s decades of elected public service began in 1971 when he joined the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. His service spanned four decades and 11 terms until his retirement in 2018, making him the longest-serving member of the board of commissioners. 

“In 2008, he received the Pillars of Excellence award from the University of Memphis Law School Alumni Chapter. In 2018, the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, known as ‘201 Poplar,’ was renamed the ‘Walter L. Bailey, Jr. Criminal Justice Center.’ The portrait will be featured publicly at this location.”

Bailey’s brother, the late D’Army Bailey, was previously honored when the Shelby County Courthouse was renamed in his honor.

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Election: How Things Went Locally

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

There were surprises in the voting nationwide, but things in Shelby County and Tennessee went pretty much as expected. 

Republican Governor Bill Lee won the smashing re-election victory statewide (1,128,097 to Democrat Jason Martin’s 572,153) that had been  expected in a Tennessee landscape that over the past decade and a half has seen yellow-dog Democrats, by and large, replaced by Republican loyalists. But Shelby County’s Democratic coloration was continued and reinforced, as underfunded Democrat Martin won out over Lee by a margin of 108,945 to 86,351.

Other results in Shelby were consistent with the Democrats’ majority in both Memphis and the county overall. Democratic congressman Steve Cohen, whose 9th District lies wholly within Shelby County, easily defeated the GOP’s Charlotte Bergman 92,274 to 29,804 with three other candidates sharing smaller shares of the vote.

Republican David Kustoff, whose 8th district contains upscale portions of Shelby County as well as extensive sections of rural West Tennessee, also triumphed over Democratic nominee Lynette Williams, with 155,534 votes to 51,077 votes, with scattered votes for others. In Shelby County, Kustoff overtook Williams by 48,837 to 19,996.

In state Senate races, Democrat Raumesh Akbari, who was unopposed for re-election in District 29, had 30,189 votes. In District 31, Republican Brent Taylor defeated Democratic contender Ruby Powell-Dennis by a vote of 45,275 to 23,033. In District 33, Democratic incumbent London Lamar defeated Republican Frederick D. Tappan, with independent Hastina D. Robinson polling 512.

Unopposed candidates winning re-election in the House were Democrats Joe Towns Jr. in District 84, Jesse Chism in District 85, Karen Camper in District 87, Larry Miller in District 88, Torrey Harris in District 91, G.A. Hardaway Sr. in District 93, Dwayne Johnson in District 96, and Antonio Parkinson in District 98; Republicans Mark White in District 83 and Tom Leatherwood in District 99.

Winners of contested House races included the late Barbara Cooper, a Democrat, over independent Michael Porter, 7,999 to 2,942, Republican Kevin Vaughan over Democrat Patricia Causey 17,935 to 6,092, and Republican John Gillespie over Democrat Toniko S. Harris in District 96, 12,083 to 9,214. 

The victory of Cooper, who died recently, means that the Election Commission will call a special new election to decide the seat.

In Bartlett, David Parsons won a hotly contested mayor’s race over rival candidates Steven Brent Hammonds, John Lackey, and Kevin Quinn. Elected to alderman’s positions were Harold Brad King, Robert Griffin, and David Reaves. School Board winners were Erin Elliott Berry and Bryan Woodruff.

Winners of alderman’s races in Collierville were Maureen Fraser, Billy Patton, and Missy Marshall. School Board winners were Wanda Chism and Keri Blair.

In Germantown, Mayor Mark Palazzolo, who was unopposed, won re-election with 14,011 votes. Victorious in alderman’s races were Scott Sanders and Mary Ann Gibson. School Board winners were Daniel Chatham and  Angela Rickman Griffith. Elected mayor in Lakeland by 3,432 votes was Josh Roman, who was unopposed. Connie McCarter was elected commissioner, and Laura Harrison was elected to the school board.

There was a full slate of candidates in Millington’s municipal election. Elected alderman were Bethany Huffman, Al Bell, Chris Ford, and Larry Dagen. School board winners were Cody Childress, Mandy Compton, Dabby Clifton, and Brian McGovern.    

Winner of a special election for Position 4 on the Memphis City Council was Jana Swearengen-Washington. Emerging first in a large field of candidates for Municipal Court Judge in Memphis was Varonica Cooper.

There were four amendments to the state constitution on the ballot, all gaining approval both locally and nationwide. Most controversial was an amendment enshrining “right-to-work” in the constitution. Another provides for an emergency means of succession of gubernatorial powers through the legislature’s two speakers. Another amendment would allow members of the clergy to hold legislative office, and yet another formally abolishes the practice of slavery in Tennessee in any form.

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Kelsey Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty to Federal Campaign Finance Violation

Joshua Smith leaving the Fred D. Thompson United States Courthouse in Nashville. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Joshua Smith, owner of The Standard social club, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a campaign finance scheme to funnel money from state Sen. Brian Kelsey’s campaign fund to his failed congressional bid in 2016.

Smith, 45, changed his plea to guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw on count two of a federal indictment, admitting that he “solicited, received, directed, transferred, and spent” more than $25,000 in “soft money” as an agent for Kelsey’s 8th Congressional District campaign. It is illegal to spend that type of money not subject to federal limitations and reporting requirements on a federal campaign.

Smith “secretly and unlawfully funneled $67,000” in “soft money” from Kelsey’s Senate campaign committee to a national organization, the American Conservative Union, that paid for radio and digital ads backing Kelsey’s campaign, according to the indictment. 

Accompanied by attorney Phillip S. Georges, Smith waived his right to a trial and appeal Wednesday and told the judge he had spoken “extensively” with his attorney before making the decision. Sentencing is set for June 9th when he faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $350,000 fine. 

Kelsey’s trial is scheduled for late January 2023.

Georges said in a statement last week that Smith accepts responsibility for his involvement and if called to testify will be “truthful regarding the activities that took place.”

Joshua Smith leaving the Fred D. Thompson United States Courthouse in Nashville. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Prosecutors say Kelsey and Smith conspired with others from February 2016 through mid-October 2016 to violate campaign finance laws and illegally move “soft money” totaling $91,000 from the senator’s state account through the The Standard’s political action committee and Citizens 4 Ethics in Government to the American Conservative Union, which purchased advertising to support Kelsey’s federal campaign.

A Nashville grand jury returned the five-count indictment against Kelsey in October 2021 after more than four years of investigation. The Germantown Republican, who has called the investigation a “witch hunt,” is not seeking re-election this year.

The federal indictment claims Kelsey gave Smith a check for more than $106,300 in July 2016 during a gathering at The Standard, an upscale restaurant in downtown Nashville, to be transferred from his campaign account to The Standard PAC and Citizens 4 Ethics in Government, which was run by Andrew Miller, and ultimately to the American Conservative Union.

Kelsey’s future wife, Amanda Bunning, director of government affairs for the American Conservative Union at the time of the alleged incidents, also sent emails to Smith asking him about making contributions to her organization, according to federal documents.

Former state Rep. Jeremy Durham and Miller are believed to be unindicted co-conspirators in the scheme.

Bunning was director of government affairs for the American Conservative Union and a member of its senior management team from late 2015 to March 2017 and managed its political expenditures, according to the indictment. She and Kelsey got engaged around July 2017 and were married in January 2018.

She received and sent a list of Kelsey’s Senate achievements, according to the indictment, and worked closely with a member of the ACU’s senior management team, which oversaw daily operations and directed all aspects of its political activities, including political expenditures.

In July 2016, the ACU reported to the Federal Election Commission that it made independent expenditures for a radio and digital ads to back Kelsey when the expenditures were coordinated with Kelsey and his agents and were not independent, according to the indictment.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.

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Weirich Moving On?

Amy Weirich (Photo by Jackson Baker)

There is an as yet unconfirmed report that Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, who was unseated in the August 4 election by DA-elect Steve Mulroy, has taken a position as assistant DA with the office of District Attorney Mark Davidson of the adjoining 25th Judicial District.

The 25th District serves the surrounding West Tennessee counties of Tipton, Fayette, Lauderdale, McNairy, and Hardeman. Each county possesses a General Sessions Court, a Circuit Court,  a Juvenile Court and a Drug Court.

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“Bogus Ballot” Deal Hits Snag

(courtesy of John Marek)

Word is that the Shelby County Democratic Party and sample-ballot entrepreneur Greg Grant are on the cusp of an agreement that would eliminate an ongoing injunction against Grant preventing him from using the term “Democratic” to describe his election ballots, which list “endorsements” and mug shots of candidates who pay Grant for the privilege.

Grant is one of several such entrepreneurs who circulate such “pay-to-play” ballots — often described by critics simply as “bogus ballots” — at election time. Among the others are former City Councilman Rickey Peete and perennial candidate M. Latroy Alexandria-Williams.

The injunction dates from February 2021 when special judge William Acree of Jackson levied it against Grant and others for using the words “Democratic” and “official” on their products. In April, the plaintiffs, who included the Shelby County Democratic Party and several others, singled out Grant for violation and asked Acree to assess a judgment or to impose a new temporary injunction (TRO).

Acree declined to issue a TRO, evidently accepting the argument of Grant’s attorney, Julian Bolton, that other ballot publishers had also, as Grant had, used variants of the word “Democrat” and “official” but were omitted from the new litigation.

Meanwhile, Judge Acree has plans to retire by the end of August, making moot the possibility of new legal actions from him after that point.

Faced with the prospect of having to re-initiate legal action from scratch against the bogus-balloteers, the Shelby County Democratic Party has reportedly offered Grant, the only currently active defendant, an agreement allowing him to continue issuing ballots under the name of “Greater Memphis Democratic Club” so long as he includes a disclaimer that he does not represent any organ of the actual Democratic Party.

Snags have occurred meanwhile. The Tennessee Young Democrats, who are a party to the suit, are not on board with the agreement, nor is plaintiff John Marek, nor, more immediately, is Grant, who is said to be resisting the idea of a disclaimer.

As Marek notes, the permanent injunction still holds, in the meantime, and is subject to enforcement.

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Can Dems Compete in Poplar Corridor in November?

(Graphic courtesy of Memphis consultant Cole Perry)

Whatever it might mean for the November election results, the August voting in Shelby County showed an interesting pattern vis-a-vis the race for the Democratic nomination for governor.

As noted by Erik Schelzig of the Tennessee Journal and as demonstrated in the graphic above (image courtesy of Memphis consultant Cole Perry) the Democrats’ second-place finisher statewide, City Councilman JB Smiley of Memphis, dominated primary voting in Shelby County, perhaps as expected, winning 61.99 percent of the county’s vote as a native son, with 48,650 votes. Second place in Shelby County went to Dr. Jason Martin of Nashville, who garnered 22.72 percent of the vote, with 18,005 votes. Martin finished first in the state as a whole and, consequently, is the party’s nominee in November to oppose GOP Governor Bill Lee.

What will be noticed from the graphic is the lengthy pink salient penetrating the county map from the east. This is where Martin netted from 40 to 60 percent of the primary vote and was the source of his strength in Shelby County. That portion of the county happens to be synonymous with what Schelzig and others call the “finger of love,” a section of the county peeled away from what used to be the 9th District and assigned by Republican redistricters to the 8th Congressional District.

Another way of describing the salient is that it is the Poplar Avenue Corridor, site of a good deal of upscale business and residential areas.

So what can be deduced from the map? Several things; one in particular: At least to a modest degree, the Poplar Corridor is potentially competitive in November between Martin and Lee. The rest of the county should go to Martin, though turnout for Martin as the Democratic nominee in November may lag behind what Memphian Smiley was able to attract in August.

And not to be neglected is that the 12,604 votes won in Shelby by third-place finisher Carnita Atwater, also a Memphian, most probably took enough votes away from Smiley to prevent his becoming the party nominee. He lost to Martin statewide by only 1,472 votes.

Ultimately, in any case, the odds of a Martin victory in November remain remote in that statewide voting remains overwhelmingly Republican.

Still, Democrats would be well advised to give that finger a shake.

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Turner to Declare for Mayor

Van Turner (Photo by Larry Kuzniewski).

Van Turner, retiring Shelby County Commissioner and local NAACP head, has confirmed that he intends to run for Mayor of Memphis next year and will likely make a formal announcement to that effect on or about September 1, the date he is scheduled to depart from the Commission after serving two terms, including a stint as chairman.

Turner’s name has figured in speculation about such a race for well over a year. Others whose names have received frequent mentions are Paul Young, president of the Downtown Memphis Commission, and Karen Camper, minority leader of the state House of Representatives.

There has been speculation as well that City Councilman Worth Morgan, who ran for Shelby County Mayor this year, could be a candidate for Memphis Mayor, as could JB Smiley, a candidate this year for Governor in the Democratic primary.

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Politics Beat Blog

Harris, Mulroy, Sugarmon Win the Big Ones

Steve Mulroy. Photo by Jackson Baker.

While Republicans in Nashville were still smarting from the defeat — early in the week — of their hopes to host the 2024 Republican National Convention in the state capital, Democrats in Shelby County were rejoicing over their second straight sweep of countywide positions in the August 4th election.

To start with the most closely followed of all the races, the one for Shelby County District Attorney General: early voting totals, coupled with mail-ins, showed Democrat Steve Mulroy well ahead of incumbent Republican DA Amy Weirich, 76,280 to 59,364. As Mulroy correctly told his delirious election-night crowd at his Poplar Avenue headquarters, barring a statistical improbability, he had become the first Democratic DA in Shelby County history.

Fellow Democrat Lee Harris, operating out of the same HQ, was comfortably ahead of Republican challenger Worth Morgan, 78,552 to 56,789, thereby winning a second four-year term as Shelby County Mayor for his own reformist mission.

Completing a trifecta of sorts, Memphis Municipal Judge Tarik B. Sugarmon had apparently won out in a four-candidate race over Republican incumbent Dan Michael for the position of Juvenile Court Judge, with 53,267 votes to Michael’s 40,720. William Ray Glasgo and Dee Shawn Peoples were also-rans.

Though his was a non-partisan race, Sugarmon, who had lost to Michael eight years earlier, campaigned at times with Mulroy and Harris. The three of them had made a ceremonial visit, late on election day, to the statue of Ida B. Wells on Beale Street, where they had issued a call for late voters to turn out. 

In other results, who would have thought that Charlotte Bergmann, largely written off as a perennial candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 9th District, would dust off a new face, entrepreneur Brown Dudley,  who had  lots of money and the apparent ability to make a real race in the fall against 9th District Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen (the odds-on favorite to win again)?

Bergmann prevailed over Dudley, 9,382 to 7,811, a win for long-term party fidelity. All bets are on Cohen, though, in November. The 9th District is wall-to-wall Democratic, the last such in Tennessee after ruthless GOP gerrymandering.

8th District Republican incumbent Congressman David Kustoff easily won out in a four-candidate race to seal his renomination and will take on Democrat Lynnette Williams in the fall.

GOP Governor Bill Lee will compete in the fall with Democratic nominee Jason Martin of Nashville, winner of a three-way Democratic primary with Memphians JB Smiley and Carnita Atwater. Smiley won in Shelby County.

Sheriff Floyd Bonner, the Democratic nominee and the Republican endorsee, finished with 96,289, blowing away two independent candidates.

Assessor Melvin Burgess, a Democrat, had fairly easy going over Republican challenger Steve Cross, 51,517.

Democrat Jamita Swearengen, 79,329,  defeated Republican Soheila Kail, 51,801, for Circuit Court Clerk.

Incumbent Trustee Regina Newman, also a Democrat, had similar ease over the GOP’s Steve Basar, 80,327 to 51,746.

Incumbent Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn won 81,223, over the GOP’s Paul Houston, 49,772.

Democrat Janeen Gordon was unopposed for Juvenile Court Clerk.

Democratic incumbent Wanda Halbert survived a scare from Republican Jeff Jacobs, with 65,520 votes to Jacobs’ 54,519. Harold Smith had 13,699 in third place.

As expected, Democrat Willie Brooks won Register of Deeds, 76,801 to Bryan Edmiston’s 50,191. George “Dempsey” Summers had 4,896.

Unofficial early indications were that all Shelby County legislative incumbents won their primary races. More details to come soon on vote totals and matchups for the fall.

As anticipated, there will be 9 Democratic members of the 13-member Shelby County Commission. Winners are Amber Mills, R, District 1; David C. Bradford Jr., R, District 2; Mick Wright, R, District 3; Brandon Morrison, R, District 4; Shante Avant, D, District 5; Charlie Caswell, D, District 6; Henri Brooks, D, District 7; Mickell Lowery, D, District 8; Edmund Ford Jr., D, District 9; Britney Thornton, D, District 10; Miska Clay Bibbs, D, District 11; Erika Sugarmon, D, District 12; Michalel Wehaley, d, District 13. 

The most competitive Commission race was between Whaley, with 7,036 votes,  and Republican Ed Apple, 6,702.

Judicial Results:

Circuit court Judge Division I, Felicia Corbin-Johnson

Circuit Court Judge, Division II, Carol J. Chumney

Circuit Court, Division III, Valerie L. Smith

Circuit Court Judge, Division IV, Gina Carol Higgins

Circuit Court Judge, Division V, Rhynette N. Hurd

Circuit Court Judge, division VI, Cedrick D. Wooten

Circuit Court Judge Division VII, Mary L. Wagner

Circuit Court Judge, Division VIII, Damita Dandridge

Circuit Court Judge, Division IX, Yolanda Kight Brown

Chancellor, Part I, Melanie Taylor Jeffe

Chancellor, Part II, Jim Kyle

Chancellor, Part III, Joe Jenkins

Probate Court Judge Division I, Kathleen N. Gomes

Probate Court Judge Division II, Joe Townsend

Criminal Court Judge Division I Paula Skahan

Criminal Court Judge Division II Jennifer Fitzgerald

Criminal Court Judge Division III, James Jones

Criminal Court Judge, Division IV, Carolyn Blackett

Criminal court Judge Division V, Carlyn Addison

Criminal Court Judge Division VI, David Pool

Criminal court Judge Division VII, Lee V. Coffee

Criminal Court Judge, Division VIII, Chris Craft

Criminal court Judge, Division IX, A. Melissa Boyd

Criminal Court Judge, Division X, Jennifer J. Mitchell

General Sessions Civil Court, Division 1, Lynn C obb

General Sessions Civil Court, Division 2, Phyllis B. Gardner

General Sessions Civil Court, Division 3, Danielle M. Sims

General ESessions Civil Court, Division 4, Deborah Henderson

General Sessions Civil court, Division 5, Betty Thomas Moore

General Sessions Civil Court, Division 6, Lonnie Thompson

General Sessions Criminal Court, Division 7, Bill Anderson

General Sessions Criminal Court, Division 8, Lee Wilson

General Sessions Criminal court, Division 9, Sheila Bruce-Renfroe

General Sessions, Criminal court, Division 10, Greg Gilbert

General Sessions Criminal court, Division 11, Karen L. Massey

General Sessions, Criminal Court, Division 12, Ronald Lucchesi

General Sessions Criminal Court, Division 13, Louis Montesi

Environmental  Court Division 14, Patrick M. Dandridge

General Sessions Criminal Court, Division 15, Christian Johnson

These judicial results, preliminary only, are subject to appeal and possible recount. Several races are very  close.

County School Board District 1: Michelle McKissack

County School board, District 6, Keith Williams

County School Board, District 8, Amber Huett-Garcia

County School  Board, district 9, Joyce Dorse-Coleman

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Dems, GOP Exchange Election-Eve Jabs

Election Commissioner Bennie Smith and DA candidate Steve Mulroy. (Photo by Jackson Baker).

With Shelby County’s Democrats and Republicans bracing for an imminent showdown at the polls on Thursday, spokespersons for both parties got off last-minute parting shots on Wednesday —Democrats expressing watchful skepticism about the fairness of the electoral system and Republicans levying charges of vandalism at the headquarters facilities of two prominent GOP candidates.

Shelby County Republican chair Cary Vaughn contacted various local media Wednesday morning and expressed outrage about banners that apparently were attached overnight to the glass facades of the headquarters of Amy Weirich and Worth Morgan, the Republican nominees for District Attorney General and Shelby County Mayor, respectively.

One of several banners that appeared on the facade of DA Amy Weirich’s campaign headquarters overnight Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Cary Vaughn).

Without providing specific evidence that the banners, which attacked the two Republicans in various ways, were the work of the Democratic opposition, Vaughn said the action was an “affirmation of things to come if the wrong people get into office” as a result of Thursday’s county election.” He said “anarchy” could be the result.

Meanwhile, assorted  spokespersons for the Democratic ticket took turns at a pre-election luncheon at Osaka Restaurant on Poplar intimating that Shelby County Election Coordinator Linda Phillips and the Republican majority of the county Election Commission needed to be watched closely under suspicion of favoring GOP candidates in the election and depriving Democratic members of the Commission from having full oversight of the election process.

Typical was State Representative Joe Towns, who said, “Beat me in a fair fight, and I’ll shake your hand, but not if you cheat.”

Others who spoke at the Osaka luncheon, calling for strenuous Get-Out-the-Vote efforts, were the two hosts, County Mayor Lee Harris and DA candidate Steve Mulroy, both of whom are on Thursday’s ballot, as well as Election Commissioner Bennie Smith, State Representative G.A. Hardaway, and Trena Ingram of the National Bar Association.

Mulroy continued to seek an answer from Weirich to his call on Monday for her to recuse herself from the ongoing prosecution on harassment charges of talk show host Thaddeus Matthews, on whose online show Weirich appeared last month to explain the concept of “truth-in-sentencing.”

Mulroy said Weirich’s appearance on the show was a likely source of electoral benefit to her and constituted a conflict of interest in her role as DA.

Weirich continues to insist that no recusal is called for in that she had received no campaign contribution from Matthews nor paid him for the public exposure and that she appeared on the show “in my official capacity” merely to explain “truth-in-sentencing,” which is now embedded in state law.

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Is This an August Surprise?

Image of Trustee Regina Newman

With Election Day coming this Thursday, August 4th, I’m making allowances this week for candidates’ versions of an “August Surprise.” That’s adapted from the well-established term “October Surprise,” having to do with late-breaking revelations that are sometimes (but not always) something sensational that is released, effected, or revealed by one campaign in order to embarrass another campaign with the aim of turning the tide of a race.

Steve Basar, the Republican nominee for the office of Trustee, offers up this mailing as a case in point. What Basar suggests is that his opponent, incumbent Democratic Trustee Regina Newman, is mixing in campaign materials with tax bills she’s sending out.

Asked about the insert, Newman audibly suppressed a chuckle and said the insert explains various standard services offered by the Trustee’s Department to the taxpayer regarding a variety of potential issues. Here is the brochure, folded out:

Newman, meanwhile, sends along a specimen of a similar informational brochure sent out from the office of her predecessor, former Trustee David Lenoir.