Date: Fri 30-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-endorsement-McKinney

Full Text:

ED INK: For State Senator

We were looking forward to this year's election campaign in the 28th

Senatorial District. Longtime State Sen Fred Lovegrove decided not to run for

reelection, and the seat is wide open for the first time in 16 years. In

addition, the parties fielded two bright young attorneys, each backed by

competent election organizations. We were looking forward to a wide ranging

debate on what the priorities and preferences of this portion of Fairfield

County should be in the State Senate. We were looking forward to this election

campaign until the candidates brought out their mudpots and starting smearing

each other.

We were critical of Tom Ganim two years ago for his negative campaign against

Mr Lovegrove. It was a turn-off, and apparently it turned off enough voters to

derail Mr Ganim's highly organized and financed campaign just short of his

goal. So when Mr Ganim this year took some legitimate questions about his

opponent's ties to US Tobacco and hyped them relentlessly with insinuations

about John McKinney's character, we were disappointed, but not entirely

surprised. We were even more disappointed when Mr McKinney responded in kind.

Quickly, the dialogue was lost in a mud fight.

We endorse Mr McKinney this year because once all the mud is cleared away, we

believe he will work most effectively with the Rowland administration to

continue to reduce state spending and the tax burdens on businesses and

individuals so that we send fewer of our resources to the state and keep more

of them in our hometowns.