LANCASTER – Lancaster city council candidate Johnathon Ervin expressed outrage Monday over a last-minute political mailer sent out to Lancaster’s “values-based” voters.
“It’s trying to question whether I have family values and whether I have morals, and I think that’s unfair,” Ervin said. “I think that it’s the same type of dirty politics we’re used to in this election, coming from the same source.”
The mailer states it’s paid for by Kitty Szeto, Lancaster’s deputy mayor who also works at the R. Rex Parris Law Firm. The mailer also uses the law firm’s address.
Labeled the “Faith and Family Voter Guide,” the mailer urges voters to cast a “ballot in faith.” It features incumbents Ron Smith and Marvin Crist and their positions on issues such as prayer at council meetings; prochoice or prolife; and the transgender “Bathroom Bill”.
Ervin is sandwiched between the two incumbents and portrayed as having “refused to respond” to a survey on the faith-based issues.
But Ervin said he’s being singled out, when the majority of council candidates did not respond to the questionable survey. In fact, only Crist, Smith and Michael Rives responded. View the survey results here.
Ervin said the survey was ignored because it was sent via email, without a subject line, and it contained a hyperlink, which could have contained a virus. (View the email here and the actual survey here.)
“Normally, you don’t click soft links… if they want to send a survey, they’ll send it in PDF format, I’ll print it out and fill it out like most questionnaires,” Ervin said. “I didn’t do the survey, and now it looks to me that I’m punished for it, and that’s the type of retribution that’s not Christian-like.”
Pastors Cecil Swetland and Chris Johnson are listed as the senders of the email survey.
“I would implore those two men, men of God I would hope, to rebuke this type of hit piece, because I think voters want to know that they’re not involved in this type of dirty politics,” Ervin said.
Swetland and Johnson could not be reached for comment Monday to confirm whether or not they were aware their names were used on the email survey. Attempts at contacting Szeto were also unsuccessful.
The Lancaster city election made national news last month, when Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris financed a mailer calling Ervin a “gang candidate” who had led an “anti-law enforcement protest.” About a week later, an unclaimed democratic-themed mailer endorsed Oscar Mejia and Jordan Campbell for Lancaster city council, while slamming Ervin. Mejia,Campbell and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party denounced that mailer.
Ervin said the new last-minute attack mailer is just another attempt to distract voters from the issues at hand.
“I think the voters want to talk about the issues, and tomorrow (April 8), they’re going to have a choice to make,” Ervin said. “Are you going to vote for people that are constantly trying to distract you from what the real issues are? Or are you going to vote for somebody that’s ready to talk about the issues, ready to get along with Palmdale, ready to bring jobs to the area and to expand services and help our seniors?”
The Lancaster Municipal Election takes place Tuesday, April 8, with polling locations opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m. For more information regarding the City’s upcoming election, contact the Lancaster City Clerk Department at 661-723-6020.
Previous related stories:
Lancaster mayor apologizes after ‘hit mailer’ backlash
March organizer: Parris political mailer is a “flat out lie!”
Candidates denounce ‘fraud’ mailer
Lancaster politics: Pot calls the kettle black
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Luther Berg says
Do you ever wonder if the candidates with the most mailers and TV ads have the most money because they have been bought off by mysterious money from overseas and the guys who got rich looting your pensions and sending your jobs to communist countries?
Guy Marsh says
Appealing to the lowest common denominator, which certainly includes catering to Lancaster’s typically simpleminded Christian majority, is a prerequisite for the likes of Crist and Smith in order for the two of them to grow wealthy through the corruption that defines Lancaster city politics. Such corruption is one of the reasons why I, in 1977, voted in opposition to Lancaster’s incorporation.
Then again, on a sociopolitical level, so too are Crist and Smith utter simpletons who genuinely believe all of that religious nonsense while seeing absolutely no contradiction in, say, their being “pro-life” all the while the stand in support of capital punishment – meaning “those who lack the capital get the punishment.”
A Lady in Lancaster says
Crony Christianity
A Lady in Lancaster says
Crony Christianism
Disgruntled says
The mailer shows only a cross for religious symbols.
A government leader should recognize that this society (the Antelope Valley and Lancaster in particular) is made up of a wide range of faiths and that flaunting the cross of Christianity is proof that certain parties have their own agenda that goes against The Constitution of The United States of America and the Amendments.
Per our second president and Founding Father, “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,…”
Vote for people that want The People included regardless of faith!
Disgruntled says
Forgot to mention for those adverse to searching, the quoted material is from the Treaty of Tripoli.
Eric says
People got confused a long time ago. They are too worried about whether it is a Democrat or a Republican in office.
They forgot that these are elected officials, who are only supposed to be up there representing their constituents interests’, not their party’s.
William says
@Disgruntled. “A cat is always on the wrong side of a closed door”
The religious fanatics keep saying we are a “Judeo-Christian nation” over and over no matter how many times they’ve been told otherwise according the the Treaty of Tripoli.
And, it’s not just the above that they are incorrect about regarding this country.
The right is concerned about the intrusion of Sharia Law and/or secular thinking while they do the same thing with their religion taken to infinity.
Willaim says
That can’t be repeated often enough, Disgruntled. The religious right are like children and/or cats.
“No! Don’t touch the hot stove” and they touch it.
“Get off the furniture” to the cat and the next thing you know, he’s back on the sofa.
“This is not a Judeo-Christian nation” and a minute later they are claiming it is.
Plus, I love how they project their own desire to legislate their beliefs while coming down hard on the Sharia law they complain about.
While Smith and Crist won this election, Lancaster is losing to Palmdale as the premier shopping, dining, recreation and entertainment center of the Antelope Valley. And, it will only get better for Palmdale. It’s called ‘momentum’.
Lancaster has ‘downward momentum’. What desirable retail or dining businesses will want to locate in Lancaster after a meeting with Rex? The sleaze just drips off of him and his crew. And, when they learn that he sues local businesses, it will be a ‘no sale’.
The money saved by Lancaster homeowners with solar roof panels will be spent in Palmdale as the residents head here on a BYD electric bus. If that isn’t irony, I don’t know what is.
Eric says
As much as I like to disagree with William, he has Lancaster’s number on that. I’m reminded of my city’s inability every time I have to go to Palmdale to get food from Arby’s. Best damn mozzarella sticks in the AV, especially when their fresh. Unfortunately freshness doesn’t survive the drive from Palmdale to Lancaster up 10th West.
Hey Bill, if you ever get into the seedier side of Lancaster, go talk to the man who owns the gas station on the corner of Division and J. Hard working immigrant, who busted his hump to get his family over here. What does he get in return? Perhaps the largest homeless grouping in the AV outside his store. My brother asked him once why he didn’t tell these people to leave his property. The answer.
“I complained to the city, they sent the Sheriff over to tell me that if I removed the homeless and criminals from MY property that they would SHUT ME DOWN.” I don’t care which side of the aisle your on, that is out of control government. Forcing someone to take on unreal conditions, just so the rest of your city can look better in promo materials that are falling on blind eyes. I’m still waiting to catch Rex on the street, I got an earful for him.
William says
@Eric.
When I moved to Palmdale in 1990, I had to drive to Lancaster for everything, furniture, Sears, doctors, Tony Roma’s (can you believe there was once a Tony Roma’s in Lancaster?), appliances and teevees at Duke n Slim’s, etc.
I really didn’t mind too much since there was very little retail in Palmdale, so you go where the stuff is.
After a year or two, I had heard about the ‘good ol’ boys’ stuff but didn’t pay much attention to any local politics.
But, after a while, from my own experience and with my own eyes I could see something was odd about Lancaster. Everything was spread out as though it were dropped from the sky and landed wherever it landed. Valley Central Way here, Lancaster Boulevard there, the old Factory Outlet in the outback and later the theater. There was no ‘there’ there. Who designed that city?
There was no freeway access at Lancaster Boulevard which probably hurt the Factory Outlet and now the BLVD. It’s not convenient to go to the BLVD unless you like a dozen traffic lights on the way. It’s only one street as there is little commercial activity on adjacent parallel streets as in other towns that have a ‘main street’.
I figured that the GOBs were running things for their own benefit since it didn’t seem that the leadership was doing things for the best interests of the residents.
And, I was correct. The city paved over the Amargosa Creek to benefit one of their own. An outdoor mall next to a hospital sounded really, really dumb. And, with our wind and weather.
The sleazy brokering of the property across from Quartz Hill High School followed by the broker being on the Planning Commision, then rezoning after the required time lapse. Didn’t the former city manager profit from the BLVD remodel?
I’m sure there is much more that I don’t know about but all that questionable activity by the GOBs has resulted in the hot mess that Lancaster now is. Rex thinks landscaping and solar panels will make the city a ‘destination’ while businesses close left and right around him.
Even so, I really didn’t get too bothered till Rex became mayor and started going after Mayor Ledford and Palmdale in earnest. Now, he’s getting a well-deserved backlash. i read letters to the Valley Press tearing him a new one quite often.
Does anyone think Rex will retire in Lancaster and enjoy all the wonderfullness he has brought about? I wonder what his next outrageous move will be now that the Supreme Court voted to let God run Lancaster. You know God. He’s the guy that makes earthquakes and droughts and hurricanes. “In God We Trust” now sounds a little naive. If Lancaster is the kind of city God endorses, YIKES!!!!
bird says
It’s not nice to use God to further your agenda.
Stinger says
Wow! Parris truly is hard-a-learnin’, ain’t he?
Does he really think that people won’t be able to tell that he is behind this just because it has HIS EMPLOYEE’S name on it? Really?
Lancaster, you deserve better. Vote for Ervin! Obviously, Parris is truly afraid of him – and that’s a GOOD thing.
perhaps says
Perhaps Rex is smarter then he looks. We live in a society where people buy their clothes based on what celebrity is wearing them on TV, Flo tells us what car insurance to buy and Henry Winkler convinces people to get a reverse mortgage.
It would not surprise me a bit if people vote based on a piece of paper they got in the mail.
Geez says
Seems shady alright. I’m curious why Ervin didn’t convey his answers in the quotes that were given? I agree that this mailer is bogus. Sure is doubtful that it’s a coincidence that a select few replied to the survey. However, he is quoted as saying “… if they want to send a survey, they’ll send it in PDF format, I’ll print it out and fill it out like most questionnaires,” Ervin said. “I didn’t do the survey, and now it looks to me that I’m punished for it, and that’s the type of retribution that’s not Christian-like.”
I agree that this shady questionnaire is definitely ‘non-Christian like’. But, answer the questions concerning prayer, the bathroom bill etc. Even if he is against my views, I’ll respect him even more if he would bluntly tell it like it is. But hey, this is politics, and even he has to play the game. Besides, nothing compares to the dirty politics we’ve been seeing anyway.
Madpenguin says
I’m glad he objects to prayer before meetings. Separation between church and state!! Support faith based community housing? Separation between church and state!!
Abortion is too controversial to comment on but I will say this….I don’t want or need Parris’ or any other council members hand in my vagina!
Steve says
It appears that some with horsepower are worried that another candidate just may be running on high octane fuel.
Disgusted says
Another day, and another low for Lancaster. I expect nothing less from the R. Rex Parris law firm and the Mayor’s right hand woman and deputy mayor. But to see pastors Swetland and Johnson involved in this filth is absolutely disgusting. As a Christian, I am deeply offended that you have used our precious faith to do the bidding of politicians. Where were you when Marvin Crist was lying to schools and school boards about the power plant? Where were you when Ron Smith was lying about his part in hit mailers? The work of the Lord is not political hit mailers, particularly those filled with deception. Pastors, you were used by people who really don’t care about you or your faith. A sad, sad day for Lancaster. Unfortunately, it may not be the last sad day.
Dave S says
Ervin, no worries. You weren’t going to get the Lancaster Baptist Pharisees vote anyway. And this mailer doesn’t talk to anyone else.
3 hit mailers! Congratulations. You’re a contender.
Katie says
Personally I’m suspect of any candidate who claims to know what God wants him to do. I have no idea what any of those questions have to do with running a local city’s government anyway. Maybe that’s why our city is in such a mess.
It's simple says
People of faith usually don’t want to vote for someone who is against their moral views. Right? Wrong? Either way, don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.
A Lady in Lancaster says
Me 2, Katie, Christ himself would hate this mailer. So Hypocritical to use Jesus for self promotion, claiming God tells you who to tell everyone else to vote for. SHAMEFUL.
Jeffrey B. Sheldon says
You can buy the abortion pill at Walmart can’t you?
Lae says
I really hope you’re kidding.
Jeffrey B. Sheldon says
I see my satire is lost on you. I’m sorry for my ignorance, after further research I see that the morning after pill is really just for lower back pain. Please forgive me for the misinformation I’ve spread!