Open Letter to VCRP County Committee And Elected Republican Officials From County Commission Candidate Steve Hammer
Yesterday, Vanderburgh County Chairman Wayne Parke released an email to the whole of the Vanderburgh County Republican Party concerning the race for Commissioner. It merits a response.
Without doubt, Chairman Parke is not only acting outside of the boundaries of authority given to County Party Chairs; he has, in effect, slandered my campaign without providing proof or context of the matter at hand. To act in this manner just weeks before an election is beyond the pale and cannot be allowed to stand.
Let me directly address the issue. One of my volunteers, while making calls to voters in Vanderburgh County, made the claim that members of the party were supporting my campaign. While this is an absolutely true statement, he unwittingly led people to believe that the party was endorsing me. I had no knowledge this language was being used and had previously provided my volunteers with general scripts that did not include any such language. Â
The issue was brought to the attention to the Indiana Republican Party, which provides the call program to all candidates. After they investigated the matter, spoke with the volunteer, and to Chairman Parke, they concluded the matter was a non-issue and that our campaign had done nothing wrong. I am eternally grateful for those who come forward to make calls on my behalf. They are not perfect people and make mistakes. I accept the responsibility for the mistake and I have asked all my volunteers to be more careful in the future.
The real issue here is not the phone calls from my campaign. The real issue is that Chairman Parke believes he has the power to pick the Candidate for the Republican Party. I complained to Chairman Parke several weeks ago about his using the Vanderburgh County Republican Party’s Facebook account to actively support one candidate while excluding the other two. This was met with his assertion that he has every right to endorse whichever candidate he wishes. Obviously this includes using Party resources to do it.
Chairman Parke also used misleading information in his email he forwarded to the County Committee. He implied that “a State Party Official has verified” his claim that I had lied about making the endorsement calls. That is, in itself, a total fabrication. I told the Chairman that I didn’t know of any such activity and would look into it. The Party Official wasn’t verifying Parke’s claim; he was verifying mine. We did look into the issue AND corrected it. Chairman Parke then used this falsehood as the basis to remove me as a Precinct Committeeman and take away my access to voter data.
Throughout this campaign the three candidates for Commissioner have maintained a good relationship with each other. It has been a positive campaign and I thank the other two for their commitment to decency. That being said, rigged primary elections are the things associated with the Democratic Party–not the Republican Party. It is up to the Chairman to ensure all three candidates have equal access to voter outreach tools. By removing my access, he is trying to force me out of this race. I can assure you, I’m in this to win.
I’m not a politician. I do not partake in dirty political tricks, closed door gossiping, or middle school-level backstabbing. I did not get into this race to play political games. Make no mistake: these tactics will not stop me from delivering my message of economic growth, local conservative values, and dedication to The People – not the party. I believe in the Integrity of public service and I hope to serve this community honestly and honorably. I’m running for you, the citizens of Vanderburgh County.
I am asking the County Committee for two things: first, your commitment to fairness in this election and to uphold the integrity of the process; second, I’m calling for Chairman Parke’s resignation or removal. Â
I thank you for allowing me a response to this unfortunate issue, and I look forward to engaging each of you on this matter.
Sincerely,
Steve Hammer
Candidate For Vanderburgh County  Commissioner
I had considered voting for you. However, your bullshit statement of “rigged primary elections are the things associated with the Democratic Party–not the Republican Party” shows us that you are NOT the proper candidate for County Commissioner, and I will strongly urge others NOT to vote for you. How can you state that “I do not partake in dirty political tricks, closed door gossiping, or middle school-level backstabbing” while making an asinine and juvenile crack about the Democratic party?
I am on record as stating that Wayne Parke is an idiot, and I will concur that what he did to you is shady, but that does NOT excuse your grade-school comment about the Democratic Party. You just lost any respect or support from myself or anyone I speak with about this race.
Grow up, because on the chance you make it thru the primary, you just lost any votes from the Democrats in this County. It is 2018, we have modern voting systems, and this bullshit about vote-rigging allows us to know you are apparently of the same intellect as Trump when it comes to voting
Disgusting
“…he has, in effect, slandered my campaign without providing proof or context of the matter at hand.”
“One of my volunteers, while making calls to voters in Vanderburgh County, made the claim that members of the party were supporting my campaign. While this is an absolutely true statement, he unwittingly led people to believe that the party was endorsing me.”
Uh, Steve, you just admitted what Parke accused your campaign of doing was true.
Parke’s response may be over the top but never-the-less it appears your campaign worker was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. And you appear to be writing it off as insignificant.
Stand up, be a man, grow some cujones and admit your campaign staff made some dubious claims. Your failure to do so is why Parke has disavowed your campaign. Covering it up and denying knowledge of what you have already admitted to is not a good defense.
And should you have admitted your campaign staff’s errors and corrected same immediately instead of denying them, well then, Parke should not have reacted as such.
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