Direct mail propaganda was misleading
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Editor,
I write to thank Rep. John Fleming for his service to our community in the Montana House over the past two years and to congratulate Dan Solomon, who will represent HD 12 in the next session.
Like many in our community, I know both John and Dan, and I have a great deal of respect for both. Each of them ran a respectful campaign focusing on issues of common concern. Both deserve credit for the way they conducted themselves in this political contest.
That being said, I feel compelled to comment, actually complain, about the way political groups outside our community campaigned in this race. Specifically, both parties (and possibly other interest groups in Helena,) targeted this race with a direct mail barrage. I found much of this material to be negative and misleading character assassination. This steady stream of expensively printed direct mail postcards contained precious little truth and an overabundance of inaccurate political invective. I believe the result did not serve either candidate or the general public.
It is indeed disappointing when rational and respectful local voices in our electoral system are drowned out by inaccurate negative information that is funded from outside our community at high dollar levels locals find difficult to match. This case illustrates much that is wrong with the way politics is conducted.
Again, I express my thanks to John Fleming for honorably representing us in Helena in the past session and commend Dan Solomon and ask that he exercise his good judgment when the legislature convenes in January.
Jay Wilson Preston
Charlo
