After reading the “planted story” in the March 13 County Post, “Judicial race turns personal,” several adjectives come to mind the describe the current and former leadership of the Waupaca County Republican Party and the supposedly nonpartisan judicial candidate they are obviously backing. Smug, self-righteous, condescending and uncompassionate are words that describe the “story” and the people behind it.

To raise the personal financial difficulties of Vicki Taggatz Clussman as a campaign issue in this judicial election is simply mean-spirited and irrelevant. Fortunately, the slanted, one-sided portrayal of Ms. Clussman submitted for the “story” was somewhat mitigated by the County Post’s factual reporting, which not only gave Ms. Clussman’s side, but also presented the facts behind the planted story’s origin.

I hope that the voters of Waupaca County are appalled by the Republican’s underhanded tactics in their depiction of Ms. Clussman, and they will show their disapproval of this strategy by casting their votes for her on April 1.

The voters should also ask themselves this question: If the leadership of the Waupaca County Republican Party resorts to these tactics in a nonpartisan election, what will be in their playbook for future partisan contests?

Stephen Laedtke
Waupaca