Athens Review, Athens, Texas

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February 23, 2010

MAIL CALL: Gooden says he wants to ‘set the record straight’

The Athens Review

Athens — As a voter, taxpayer and candidate for State Representative, I’ve been wondering, “Where’s Betty Brown?”  Until her letter Friday, her campaign consisted of ducking forums and making personal attacks against me through anonymous robo-calls and her high-dollar political consultant. While I’m encouraged to finally hear from her, I must set the record straight.

Betty’s campaign made nasty accusations about my commitment to this community, and many of my supporters were understandably upset and rushed to my defense.  Betty and I are both from Terrell, and it’s ironic these personal attacks are nowhere to be found there.  She knows that dog won’t hunt in our hometown, because the folks there have known me since I was a child.  No one is attacking Betty’s faith as she tried to claim.  Instead, it’s her actions that are being questioned.   

I’ve kept all of my criticisms about Betty to the facts.  I’ve been critical that her campaign is almost exclusively funded with money from PAC’s, lobbyists and special interest groups.  I’ve been critical that state spending has almost doubled on her watch.   I’ve been critical that she voted to use our tax dollars to subsidize illegal immigrants.  I’ve been critical that she supported the Trans-Texas Corridor, and I’ve been critical that she promised to serve only four terms, but is currently running for a seventh.   When I bring these facts to the attention of voters, instead of facing me at forums or agreeing to a debate, she resorts to a personal smear campaign filled with lies and distortions to take the focus off her record. 

My campaign is a simple affair.  I don’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interests that Betty does.  Instead I’ve relied on individuals all over this district to spread the word to their friends and neighbors that, together, we can make a change in Austin and restore our voice in the legislature.  That is the cause of my campaign - a return to our core conservative principles.  I’ll work to cut the budget, reduce taxes, strengthen border security, improve public education and defend property rights.  These are serious issues and they demand something more than the same old business-as-usual attitude from our leaders.

Lance Gooden

 

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