Thaddeus Kirkland said something over the weekend that I am guessing a lot of people in Chester have been wondering about.
The Democratic state rep took umbrage at billboards popping up across the city touting Mayor Wendell Butler’s ties to President Barack Obama.
On the billboard there is a smiling Butler standing next to the president.
Butler is a Republican, running against Democrat John Linder. Obviously, Obama is a Democrat.
Kirkland believes the mayor, in a tough re-election fight, is trying to distance himself from the local GOP. Hard to blame him. Registration numbers in the city do not bode well for the Republican Party that has run city government and the Chester Upland School District for decades.
It has not gone unnoticed in the last city council race that two Democrats beat their Republican counterparts. Could the mayor's office be next?
For his part, Butler is defending the billboards, noting that the city recently was chosen for a federal Strong Cities, Strong Communities pilot program. He says the billboard is a reflection of the city being chosen for the program.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt Butler to be seen standing next to a very popular -–and very Democratic – president either.
You can read the full story here.
Comments