The Arizona Daily Star has removed four letters to the editor from Tucson.com after discovering they were not submitted by the individuals who signed them.
The letters, all supporting Proposition 413 to raise Tucson mayor and council salaries, were sent under the signatories’ names by a public-relations consultant working for the Yes on Proposition 413 campaign.
While the letters match statements of support from the individuals carried on the Prop. 413 website and in other promotional material, the people signing the letters were not aware of their submission as signed letters to the editor.
“This was a simple miscommunication,” said the consultant, Eric Chalmers of Phoenix-based Strategies 360.
Chalmers, who is vice president for campaigns and outreach for the firm, said that “since I took the statements they gave us as completely supportive” of the proposition, “I submitted the letters as from them.”
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The letters were submitted through the Star’s online letters-to-the-editor portal.
Michael Guymon, president and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, alerted the newspaper Saturday morning, noting that one of the letters was listed with his signature. He stressed that the Chamber does indeed support the proposition, but objected to the letter because he had not sent it and nobody had told him it would appear.
The other letters were ostensibly signed by Jon North, vice president of the Tucson Fire Fighters Association; David Godlewski, president of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association; and Mike Gamez, chair of the Tucson Police Officers Association PAC. All of the organizations and individuals have statements of support posted on the campaign website, www.yesonprop413.com.
David McCumber, executive editor of The Arizona Daily Star, said Saturday that the letters were taken down as soon as the Star was notified of the situation.
“While the letters appear to be an accurate reflection of the positions of these people and the groups they represent, we didn’t feel comfortable keeping them on the site when we found out they weren’t personally submitted.”
Chalmers of Strategies 360 said, “I sincerely regret any misunderstanding” over the letters he submitted.
