Now that the election is over, I want to thank the many citizens of Fayette, Henry and Spalding counties who supported and encouraged me throughout my campaign.
I count myself among the majority of Americans who favor term limits, and who believe that good government requires active involvement of the citizens, not merely accepting incumbents who have repeatedly run unopposed.
I am glad to have given the voters of Georgia House District 73 an alternative in the general election to the man who has held this job for the past 20 years, and I am grateful that more than 6,000 citizens honored me with their vote.
I was saddened and bewildered by Mr. Yates’ claim in his Nov. 10 letter to the editor that “none of my statements were true” and that I ran “the most shameful campaign” he has seen in 20 years.
These are grossly unfair assertions, with no specifics attached. That “none of my statements were true” is too ridiculous to even understand, as I assume that even my harshest critic would admit that SOMETHING I said in months of campaigning must have been true.
As for shame, anyone who followed our campaign would recognize that the only shameful thing said by either of us (until his recent letter) was when Mr. Yates proposed that the National Guard “shoot to kill” anyone caught entering the country illegally from the Mexican border, and compared fighting illegal immigration to fighting Hitler.
I don’t know what kind of elected official advocates the killing of unarmed men, women and children for committing a misdemeanor crime, but I know that many people around the district and around the country were appalled by his words.
Mr. Yates’ comments were condemned by Bill Nigut, Southeast Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League who went on to say, “Comparing Mexicans crossing the border illegally to Hitler’s army is grossly offensive to Jews and others who suffered the tragic consequences of the Nazis’ so-called ‘Final Solution.’” Additionally, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials called for an apology from Mr. Yates, which was not given.
Mr. Yates won the election, but his lack of respect for human life does not represent my values nor those of many residents of District 73.
Rose Carroll
Fayetteville, Ga.
