Kate Widland Gallego's campaign manager, Lisa Fernandez, tells New Times that the political-attack fliers circulating in the district are "despicable."
The bright yellow fliers blast Widland Gallego, a candidate for the Phoenix City Council District 8 seat, for taking a $100 campaign contribution from Brian Murray, a consultant with Summit Group -- a firm that has represented Maricopa County Joe Arpaio, recalled Senate President Russell Pearce and other pro-SB 1070, anti-immigrant politicians.
See also: -Mud-slinging Continues in South Phoenix's District 8 City Council Race -Stewart Supporter Cloves Campbell Calls Stewart's Political Opponent a "House Negro" -Black Leaders Struggle to Retain Power in a District They've Historically Controlled Fernandez says that unfortunately, "it is exactly the kind of pathetic tactics voters have come to expect from Warren Stewart and his supporters."
Karl Gentles, Stewart's political consultant, tells New Times that message isn't coming from the campaign.
"Warren Stewart's campaign speaks for itself," he says. "Other are doing things outside of the campaign that we have no control over. It's unfortunate that others are carrying on with these types of messages. But our focus is to point out the differences between each candidate's relationship with the district."
A second flier pictures Widland Gallego with Paula Deen, the one-time Queen of Southern Cooking whose show was yanked off the Food Network after she admitted to using the n-word and was accused of being racially insensitive.
"Rather than offer new ideas, Mr. Stewart repeatedly offers racially-motivated attacks aimed at dividing our community," Fernandez says. "There is already too much hatred in our state, and it is a shame Mr. Stewart has chosen to disgrace himself with what is clearly a desperate attempt to make up a huge vote deficit."
Gentles reiterates those message are not coming from the campaign.
He notes that Stewart's messages and actions in the district over the past 35 years have had a positive, "true and direct and visible" effect on residents of the district.
As pastor of First Institutional Baptist Church for more than three decades, Stewart has also helped establish nonprofit organizations, like the Broadway House, a nonprofit housing project that provides homes for low-income residents.
Stewart came under fire during the primary election for not publicly denouncing comments by Cloves Campbell in an editorial published in his newspaper, the Arizona Informant.
Gentles tells New Times that Stewart did have a personal conversation with Campbell regarding that editorial.
In his piece, the Stewart supporter called Stewart's opponent a "house Negro" because he eats dinner in Scottsdale, bought coffee at Starbucks, and immersing himself in a "job with nothing but white folks."
