Guest Column
by Michael Schwartz
On Wednesday I was amazed to find in my mailbox a hit piece on a good friend of mine, Orrin Kole. Orrin is running for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Board and has been working hard to get his name in front of voters to let them know how excited he is to help the East County community he loves by serving them.
Sadly, while Orrin has been active in the community talking to voters, Local 1931 union boss Jim Mahler has been spending huge amounts of money on mail pieces that flat out lie about Orrin.
The piece sent by the “American Federation of Teachers Grossmont Cuyamaca Community Colleges” makes three false claims: Orrin Kole is a Democrat, Orrin Kole is from out of state, and Orrin Kole was rejected by the Republican Party Central Committee.
The truth is that Orrin has never registered as a Democrat or any other party other than the Republican Party. Orrin was “undeclared” for a number of years, but has always been conservative and is proud to be registered as a Republican because of his strong stance on fiscal responsibility, small government, and individual rights.
Orrin ran for and won a seat on the Republican Party Central committee in the 77th Assembly District in the June 2010 election. The San Diego County Republican Central Committee endorsed Orrin in his campaign for Grossmont-Cuyamaca College Board. In no way has the Republican Central Committee or any of its members “rejected” Orrin Kole.
Orrin has born, grew up, and lives in California. He did live outside of California for a short time while he served honorably in the United States Army including a tour in Iraq. After he left the military Orrin came home to live permanently in California.
Even odder than union-liar Jim Mahler’s hit piece is his support of Orrin’s opponent who is endorsed by the Democratic Party. The piece authored by Jim Mahler first attacks Orrin by accusing him of being a Democrat, but it then asks you to vote for his opponent….a Democrat!
I called the Mission Valley office of the “American Federation of Teachers” and asked who I would speak to about the accuracy of their mail piece. I was told that Jim Mahler authored and researched the information for this piece. I was declined the opportunity to speak with Mr. Mahler on the phone or even set an appointment to see him in person.
I wish I could say it was rare to see unions use such tactics, but the fact is this lack of ethics has become all too common. Unions, try telling the truth! Voters, if you want better behavior in your elected officials who will stand up to dishonest unions, vote for Orrin Kole!
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Editor’s note: The mail piece in question was mailed to Republican voters in a false attempt to have them believe Mr. Kole does not share their values. For real info on Kole or to contact him, click here.