To the Editor:
We are just a few days away from the November 3 elections, and emotions are running high. Voters are growing anxious and candidates are too.
Amplifying these feelings is the constant stream of information being circulated, which unfortunately includes negative advertising.
My name is Collin VanMeter, and I am a candidate for Madison County Board District 26 in Glen Carbon. Throughout my campaign, I have refused to engage in creating or supporting attack ads against my opponent (Erica Harriss). While this strategy may be unheard of in modern elections, this commitment aligns with my values and my reasons for wanting to serve. I was successfully upholding this goal until a few days ago, when I was made aware of an attack ad against my opponent that had been created and distributed without my knowledge nor consent.
Negative third-party advertising is not unheard of, but this specific ad went against everything my campaign is about. My goal is to take the partisanship out of our local government. I want to help bring our County Board back to its intended purpose and make local government about all of us in Madison County.
When I saw the attack ad against my opponent, I contacted the organization responsible and successfully had the ad removed. But the removal was not enough, and I want to go one step further. I would like to publicly apologize to my opponent for this ad. While we may not agree on the direction we should be taking our county, we are both members of this community and highly respect the people that live here.
Please know I was disheartened when I learned this had happened, and I am sorry. As we move into the twilight of the 2020 elections, I want to promise the people in the 26th district that I will finish my campaign with civility. I look forward to seeing the outcome of every race on November 3rd.
Colln VanMeter, Democrat candidate for Madison County Board, District 26