John and Mary Gustafson complain of “dirty politics” and “innuendo”, and then proceed to attack me on the basis that I share a last name with a former president of the United States. Cheap shot, John and Mary. You clearly don’t know me.

To be absolutely clear: my investigation into Kinnon Williams’s campaign finances came about after I read the Kirkland Reporter article saying he had raised over $30,000 for his campaign, which I found to be an extremely high amount for an EvergreenHealth campaign based on previous years.

I was not asked by Rebecca Hirt or anyone associated with her campaign to investigate. On my own initiative, I went to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission website, obtained information on the source of the contributions to WIlliams’s campaign, and made that information public.

When I found that Al DeYoung had also made an additional $30,000 contribution to a political action committee, which he then spent over $25,000 of that for a mailing in support of Williams, I also made that information public, with no prompting or encouragement from Hirt.

I just think people should know what the chairman of the Evergreen hospital commission is doing, so that they ask themselves why he would take such actions and what he has to gain by it.

I had not endorsed anyone in the hospital commission race prior to discovering Al DeYoung’s massive spending on Williams’s campaign. Without that discovery, I would not have endorsed anyone. But in my mind, having the commission chairman pour $60,000 into a campaign to replace a sitting commissioner with someone of the chairman’s choosing raises questions about the motives of the chairman.

It also raises questions about the integrity of a candidate who would willingly accept such huge contributions from one contributor rather than do the hard work of building broad support in the community and raising the money for a campaign from dozens or hundreds of supporters like most candidates do.

Don’t reward Al DeYoung’s attempt to buy this election. Vote for Rebecca Hirt.

Toby Nixon, Kirkland