The company that owns The Bull Elephant also provides web development services. We provided those for a candidate, Susan Stimpson, about whom we write. We built the Stimpson campaign’s initial website, with a disclosure of that work at the bottom of every page of the site.[read_more]
We do not provide the campaign any consulting or other ongoing services. We just built a website, where the content was provided by the campaign. Our readers may feel free to judge anything we write through the lens of that transaction should they wish. By disclosing this we have intentionally given them the opportunity to do so. We hope that when the truth of an issue is in question, the facts and reasoning included in our reporting will be enough to address any concerns about our integrity. If not, then hey…it’s a free market.
Further, I personally serve as chairman of the Stafford County GOP. As you might imagine, the Howell/Stimpson contest presents some challenges in that regard. For that reason I have made clear that my most important job in that role is maintaining and growing our Committee, and getting us prepared for what happens after the primaries are over. I have not, nor will I, ever allow any personal opinions or preferences (or rather modest one time business transactions) to alter those priorities, and have made clear to the elected Republicans and other leaders in Stafford that this race will not be allowed to hijack the Stafford Committee. All of us have our preferences, but that’s none of my business because at the end of the day we must remember we’re all on the same team.
I want to thank the readers who expressed concern about this, Norm Leahy at Bearing Drift for calling up the issue, and Jim Hoeft for reaching out to discuss. Feel free to keep us honest if we stray off course. We fully expect some will choose instead to throw stones. That, too, comes with the territory, as my friends at BD can attest.
