New campaign ads spark strong reactions

By Lance Griffin

Published: July 2, 2008

The latest round of ads from Congressional candidates Harri Anne Smith and Jay Love has sparked a war of words between the two campaigns.

Love, a state representative from Montgomery, has a new television ad criticizing Smith, a state senator from Slocomb, for first introducing a bill that would have blocked electronic bingo at the proposed Country Crossing development in Houston County, then later asking that the bill not be considered.

Love’s ad says: “Harri Anne Smith sold out her conservative values and now supports gambling. For what? Campaign contributions.”

Pictured during the statement is a copy of an invitation to a Smith fundraiser in Enterprise. A red circle is drawn around the name of one of the hosts—Ronnie Gilley, the Country Crossing developer.

Smith and Gilley said the ad falsely implies that he donated to Smith’s campaign. There is no record of Gilley giving any money to the Smith campaign. He said he did donate to the campaign of Dr. Craig Schmidtke.

Gilley also said Love sought Gilley’s support prior to the June primary election. Love’s campaign issued a statement denying the claim.

“While Rep. Love had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Gilley, just as he would any 2nd Congressional District voter, he did not seek his support,” campaign spokesperson Michael Lowry said in response to an inquiry from the Dothan Eagle. “Quite the opposite, he took the opportunity to express his vision for economic development in the Wiregrass but adamantly pointed out that vision does not include the expansion of gambling.”

Gilley disputed Love’s recollection of the meeting.

“He’s a blatant liar,” Gilley said. “He came to my office and let me know how much he was in support of Country Crossing while at the same time blasting Sen. Smith for getting involved in local politics and assured me there would be no issues with him in regards to the bingo.”

When asked if the ad was meant to imply that Gilley had donated to Smith’s campaign, Lowry responded:

“It is fair and accurate that following public pressure on her, Senator Smith held a fundraiser that featured Mr. Gilley as a host — something he agreed to do because as he says ‘Senator Smith did retract her bill.’”

Gilley said hosting the fundraiser did not indicate his endorsement.

“I agreed to serve as a host because several of my business partners were hosts,” Gilley said. “I’ve never pledged my support for Smith. She has never asked for my support. Senator Smith simply responded to the overwhelming masses that expressed their displeasure with her attempt to block the bill.”

Love says attack ‘personal’

Meanwhile, Love issued a written statement Wednesday saying he felt his Christian faith was being attacked in Smith’s latest radio spot, adding the “personal attacks” needed to stop.

“It’s hurtful to both me and my family and completely out of place in this race,” Love said. “I am asking Senator Smith to forgo any further personal attacks and join me in focusing on the issues that are important to the good people of District 2.”

Smith said the radio ad does not attack his faith.

The ad begins with the following statement:

“What has Jay Love been doing in Montgomery for the last six years? He claims he is a Christian conservative. The truth is, Jay Love is not conservative at all.”

More tax issues

The ads sparked a flurry of responses from both campaigns. Smith’s latest television ad criticizes Love for voting against a measure earlier this year that would have changed the way severance taxes on oil and natural gas extractions in Alabama are calculated.

The ad states Love “voted to allow big oil companies to get away with not paying their fair share.”

That prompted the Love campaign to accuse Smith of flip-flopping on her own television ads.

“First she accuses us of trying to raise taxes. Now she’s accusing us of trying to not raise taxes,” Lowry said, referring to an earlier television ad that criticized Love for voting for Amendment 1, a package of tax and fee increases, in 2003.

“We’ve hit a silly season in all of this,” Lowry said.

Smith did not vote on the severance tax issue since it was defeated in a House committee before making it to the Senate.

The ad also uses a video clip of Gov. Bob Riley criticizing the vote. Riley had pushed for a yes vote on the severance tax bill and issued a video statement on his Web site criticizing the House Appropriations Committee, of which Love is a member, for defeating the bill by a vote of 11-4. A spokesperson for Riley told the Associated Press Riley did not give permission for the clip to be used in the ad, and wants to remain neutral in the race. He also said he was not asking that the ad be removed from the airwaves.

Smith said she did not know why using the clip had been made an issue.

“It’s on a public Web site in the public domain,” Smith said.