Editor, Times-Union: The Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce has been made aware of the Facebook and Twitter postings of 3rd District Congressional Candidate Kevin Boyd (D) with a caption indicating that we do not know where Congressman Stutzman is. Additionally, Mr. Boyd uses a picture on his Facebook posting taken in front of a sign for one of the event sponsors that includes our logo. This picture was taken on Sept. 25 at our Meet the Candidate event in Warsaw.
This posting and use of our logo was done without our permission. The statement that we did not know where Congressman Stutzman was is absolutely false. Congressman Stutzman’s office respectfully declined our invitation as Marlin was already committed to be at another public event. The Congressman has a district that encompasses 12 Indiana counties. Our event was one of many taking place throughout the 3rd District on the 25th. Many candidates for office were unable to attend our event – singling out Congressman Stutzman is another falsehood represented in the posting.
Although our logo is used in Mr. Boyd’s posting, it should in no way be seen as an endorsement from the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce. The picture is little more than a representation that Mr. Boyd participated in our Meet the Candidate event. We asked the candidates to avoid the mudslinging and focus on their vision for serving the public. This Facebook and Twitter posting by Mr. Boyd violated the spirit of our event.
It is ironic that Mr. Boyd uses a picture that includes the corporate logo of Zimmer. Although our Chamber does not speak for Zimmer, we recall Mr. Boyd’s support of the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices. Any candidate supporting this tax, as did Mr. Boyd at our event, would have difficulty receiving support from the medical device manufacturers located in Kosciusko County. It would be prudent for the candidate to inquire with Zimmer before trying to create the illusion of support from them.
Mark Dobson President & CEO Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce
