There's been a lot of consternation about robo calls alleging that Phoenix mayoral candidate Wes Gullett has a baby momma that isn't his wife.
Yes, the recorded calls should have identified to the listener who was footing the bill for message. And generally, people seem to agree that they were in bad taste -- even for this contentious of a mayor's race.
Arizona Republic's Laurie Roberts wrote that "the guy is being attacked by all of the A-listers in the race - a sure sign that he's got traction. Then last week some lowlife made robo calls to a select group of Phoenix voters, accusing Gullett of fathering an illegitimate child."
Gullet is hardly a victim. The Republic-blessed candidate has done some mud-slinging of his own.
Gullett's first mail piece of the mayor's race -- with all the characteristics
of a hit piece -- shows the typical unflattering photographs of his
opponents with blurb or two to drive home just how horrible it would be
to have that candidate as mayor.
Gullett also had a video that essentially said voters would be insane to
vote for Councilman Claude Mattox and former council members Peggy
Neely and Greg Stanton, his mayoral opponents.
Mattox called that video a "classless attack."
"Lobbyist Wes Gullett recently launched a classless attack on three
fellow candidates for Mayor of Phoenix. With the theme of insanity, a
Gullett produced video shows a padded cell with the faces of Claude
Mattox, Peggy Neely and Greg Stanton. What do these three have in
common? All served on the Phoenix City Council which Gullett apparently
despises," Mattox wrote in a letter to potential voters.
Stanton and Jennifer Wright, an attorney and candidate in the
mayor's race, have mostly managed to stay out of the mud. Their mailers focus
more on promoting themselves instead of hacking away at their opponents.
