posted February 11, 2005
Mayor candidate Dan Johnson questioned the use of a Nashville ad agency by the Ann Coulter for Mayor campaign.
He said, "In this campaign (for mayor), I have not made a habit of responding to the parade of press releases issued daily by other campaigns. But Wednesday's diatribe from Ann Coulter compels me to speak out; I was taken back by the hypocrisy between her words and her actions.
"In a press release titled Coulter Outlines Small Business Strategy, dated February 10, 2005, Ms. Coulter is quoted as saying, 'We will encourage all businesses to buy products and services from each other right here in Chattanooga….' Yet according to public records on file at Chattanooga television stations, the largest expenditure of her campaign to date was made to a high-priced Nashville Ad Agency.
"The Coulter campaign chose to hire a Nashville agency to produce and direct the purchase of what must be more than $100,000.00 of campaign advertising. A quick check of the Chattanooga area phone book on my desk shows that there are at least 29 local agencies engaged in the same service here in Chattanooga. Ann Coulter is paying thousands of dollars in fees to a Nashville company that could have gone to support any one of our local businesses. The hypocrisy should lead us all to question everything Ms. Coulter has said to date.
"This issue has only come to light due to public record laws that require full disclosure by the FCC as it pertains to the commercial television business. Because election laws do not require this same disclosure for campaigns until seven days before an election, I am today calling on Ms. Coulter to fully disclose all expenses paid to out-of-town businesses. My campaign has checked our records and determined that we have not made one payment to an out-of-town business.
"As Ms. Coulter outlined in her release, a 'Buy/Use Local' program is exactly what city government should do. Ms. Coulter’s actions suggest she is not serious about her own initiatives; how can she expect anyone to be.
"I look forward to her explanation."
The Coulter campaign responded: "Dan Johnson’s attack is hypocritical since Johnson’s campaign uses a media buying company from outside Chattanooga, Ron Littlefield has a pollster from Louisiana and the Coulter campaign has used businesses, video production personnel and production facilities in Chattanooga. In addition, signage, marketing assistance and campaign equipment are purchased locally by the Coulter campaign.
"Dan Johnson is trying to distract attention from his campaign’s deficiencies and from the fact that Ann Coulter has put forward more news ideas to move the city forward.
"Dan Johnson’s false attacks won’t create one job, educate one child, or improve one neighborhood.
"That’s why Ann Coulter has been focused on new ideas and proposals that will move our city forward."
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