As the campaign manager for the 2008 Kovach federal election campaign, I don’t think that anyone would accuse either myself or Gloria Kovach of being thin skinned when it comes to articles in the Mercury. However, I feel compelled to respond to Greg Mercer’s drive-by smear that attempts to masquerade as a column. It is wrong, misguided, and represents what I feel to be a personal attack.

To begin, let me address the content of the article.

Mercer attempts to use a March 16 Maclean’s article to invalidate a statement made by Kovach made seven months ago (on Aug. 20). That statement was responding to a report by the Canadian Press indicating that drug crime in Guelph has risen at a rate 2.5 times higher than its growth.

The Maclean’s article is a ranking, essentially ranking Guelph with respect to other cities in Canada, and does not indicate whether crime has risen or fallen, only how we are doing with respect to other cities. Surely Mercer can understand the difference in the two reports.

Of course, if Mercer would care to turn over the left page of the Maclean’s report, he would see the lead article, which clearly states (in large, bold, easy to read type) that “Gang-related crime is rising, overwhelming the authorities.”

Hardly a reason to send the police home.

I originally moved to Guelph from Toronto, in part because I know that Guelph has a lower crime rate than Toronto. But when my car windows were smashed in last summer so that thieves could grab a cheap piece of electronics, I didn’t feel all that great that we were better than Vancouver, I simply wished that we could be better.

The election was more than five months ago. This is a newspaper, not a historical or political journal. If this had appeared under the guise of an editorial, I might be able to understand it, but there it is, on page 2.

Is there really so little going on in Guelph? If not, and if you really want to talk about Kovach, why not talk about her work on council?

She and Christine Billings they are providing the only voices of restraint on a council that seems hell-bent on spending current and future taxpayer money like drunken sailors.

I’m not sure what motivated this attack that came, from my perspective, out of the blue. Was it the fact that Kovach has had little time for reporters since the election? Is it the fact that her stands on council have drawn the ire of the Guelph Civic League and their cronies? I’m concerned as to what this newspaper will be able to report on once Guelph has run out of dead horses to flog.

This is not the first time this newspaper has allowed a personal attack on Kovach from one of its columnists to go to print, but I sincerely hope that it will be the last.

– John White, Guelph