Guelphites reject negative Liberal campaign

Just got this via my Guelph by-election Google Alert... it looks like the citizens of Guelph are also picking up on the negative vibes coming out of the Valeriote campaign.

This Letter to the Editor was published in today's Guelph Mercury...

Stop negative attacks on Gloria Kovach - August 02, 2008

Dear Editor - Well, so much for hoping for an issue driven, positive by-election.

We're just over a week into the campaign and what do we see? Supporters of the local Liberal candidate calling Gloria Kovach names, and sending pictures around the Internet comparing her to trained animals, or implying she's just a Stephen Harper sock puppet.

Well that's not the Gloria I know. Before I'd even met her, I'd heard her name frequently around town.

She's been her own woman on council for a long time now, always speaking up with what's on her mind, and she's never been one to take orders from anyone.

It's no wonder the residents of Ward 4 have sent her back to council over and over again, even when various council slates have been wiped clean.

If this is how the Liberals plan to run this campaign, they're in for a big surprise. The residents of this city are just as vocal and independent minded as Gloria and don't take kindly to negative smear campaigns like this.

We know Gloria, and many of us like Gloria. Attacking her like this, with a baseless attack no less, isn't likely to endear us to Frank Valeriote any time soon.

Shame on his campaign for stooping so low so early in this election race.