Dear Editor: As a resident of District 5 in Covington, I have followed the County Commissioner's race with great interest. I have spoken directly with three of the candidates running on the Republican ticket for this district's seat including Mr. Dowdy, Mr. Maddox and Mr. Rutberg. That said, Mr. Dowdy's use of an unnamed source in a CovNews print advertisement on Friday defaming Mr. Rutberg, is the worst kind of political gamesmanship. Mr. Dowdy should check himself. I know Mr. Rutberg, and I know that he is a conservative to the core. Mr. Rutberg and I don't agree on everything, but he doesn't deserve to be maligned in the name of a political contest.

I also know Mr. Maddox. I have worked with him in the corporate world, and know him to be a man of competence and integrity...truly a man who has "worked on nearly every level of business." Creating a print advertisement that accuses him of "lack(ing) the experience to get the job done on the BOC" and of being "on the puppet strings of the party" are creations of Mr. Dowdy's mind.

Both Mr. Rutberg and Mr. Maddox have more experience and have contributed more to the community than Mr. Dowdy has in his short residency here. Mr. Dowdy could have been a welcomed, fresh voice in our county's government, but he has chosen to take a negative approach in order to win an election to a seat that he is clearly not prepared to fill.

Dan Walden
Covington